“This fight is against Mitrakaal”: Rahul Gandhi after getting bail

New Delhi [India], April 3 (ANI): Following the appeal of his conviction in Surat court in the 2019 defamation case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that he was fighting against the “Mitrakaal” and in his fight to save democracy, the truth was his weapon and support.

“This is a fight against ‘mitrakaal’ and to save democracy. In this struggle, truth is my weapon and support,” said Gandhi in a Hindi tweet.
He has been criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “saving his friend Adani” over the Hindenburg report.

Disqualified Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today was granted bail in a 2019 defamation case by a Surat court, till April 13, when the case will be heard again.

Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer Gaurav Pandya while talking to the media said that Rahul Gandhi’s appeal against the said conviction would be heard by the court on May 3.

Rahul appeared in the court today and filed an appeal against his March 23 conviction.

Rahul Gandhi reached Surat where he filed an appeal seeking a stay on his conviction by a Surat magistrate court for the defamation case over his remark on the ‘Modi surname’.

The court had earlier given time of 30 days to the Congress leader to appeal its order.

After the Surat court’s verdict, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and senior leaders including chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh reached Surat from their respective states had accompanied Gandhi to the Gujarat court. Priyanka was seen with Rahul Gandhi aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi.

The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark in 2019 in Karnataka.

The defamation case was filed against Gandhi by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for saying “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”

The Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for accompanying his family and party leaders to file an appeal in the appellate court in Surat against his conviction by a magistrate court in the 2019 criminal defamation case.

BJP spokesperson held a press conference earlier today to lash out at Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader is going with his family and some chief ministers “with pomp and show” to “repeat and add to the insult” of the OBC community.

“Rahul Gandhi, his family members, CMs Ashok Gehlot & Bhupesh Baghel are going to Surat & will be creating mayhem in the name of appealing (against the two-year sentence) verdict. What’s the need for this ruckus?” Patra said.

“Rahul Gandhi, is it not true that you used a casteist remark against the OBC community? You called them a thief and abused them. You are going to Surat with your family and some chief ministers with pomp and show. Do you want to pressurise the judiciary? Appealing is a democratic right. You are going to augment the insult that you have thrown at the OBC community by going and staging this kind of protest in Surat. Are you trying to pressurise the Indian judiciary through these gimmicks of yours?” Patra said.

Further slamming Rahul Gandhi over his “arrogance”, the BJP leader alleged that he was not ready to apologise to the lower court for his remark.