Rahul Gandhi to Apex Court: No Apology, Stands by ‘Not Guilty’ Modi Remark

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has informed the Supreme Court of India that he refuses to apologize for his Modi surname remark, which led to his disqualification as an MP. He has requested the apex court to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case related to his comment.

Gandhi defended his position, stating that the case was “exceptional” and the offense was “trivial.” He emphasized that the disqualification had caused irreparable harm to him.

In his affidavit, Gandhi condemned the use of the criminal process to coerce an apology for something he deemed not guilty of, calling it an abuse of the judicial system.

He asserted, “If I had to apologize and compound the offense, I would have done it much earlier.”

The criminal defamation case was filed against Gandhi by BJP leader and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi in 2019 over his ‘Modi surname’ remark during an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka.

In the affidavit, Gandhi highlighted that Modi had used slanderous terms like ‘arrogant’ against him merely because he refused to apologize.

Gandhi further argued that there was no community or “samaj” named ‘Modi,’ and therefore the offense of defaming the entire Modi community did not apply.

Earlier, Purnesh Modi had sought the dismissal of Gandhi’s appeal against his conviction, claiming that he had defamed all individuals with the Modi surname, particularly those belonging to the ‘Modh Vanik’ caste of Gujarat.

Gandhi’s appeal against his conviction was filed on July 15, and he expressed concern that the judgment, if not stayed, would suppress free speech, expression, thought, and statement.

The Congress leader was disqualified as a Member of Parliament on March 24 following a Gujarat court’s conviction, sentencing him to two-year imprisonment for criminal defamation related to his comments about the Modi surname.

Despite attempts to secure relief from the sessions court and the Gujarat High Court, he was not granted a stay on his conviction, and his disqualification from the Lok Sabha remained in effect.