Rahul Gandhi may now go to a larger bench of the Gujarat High Court or the Supreme Court. If they overturn the verdict or even reduce the sentence, his disqualification will be withdrawn.
The criminal defamation case was filed over a remark made by Rahul Gandhi during the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign. Referring to persons like Lalit Modi, and Nirav Modi, Rahul Gandhi had asked "Why do all thieves have the Modi surname?."
Gujarat government opposed the bail plea of 'activist' Teesta Setalvad by submitting that she served as a ‘tool’ in the hands of politicians during the 2002 Gujarat riots
According to reports, as many as 176 illegal mazars and 18 other religious sites have been demolished so far. The Junagadh District Collector and Inspector General along with other high ranking officials were also present during the demolition.
Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Surat on March 23 for his defamatory comments against people with Modi surname in a speech in 2019.