The Gujarat High Court on Saturday stated that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is an elected representative of the people and must exercise caution when making public statements.
The comment was made by single-judge Justice Hemant Prachchhak while hearing Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case against him for his remark “all thieves have Modi surname” at an election rally.
“In fact, it is his greater responsibility towards the general public. He is speaking on behalf of the whole public. He must keep his statements within limits and bounds,” the judge stated.
Gandhi, in reply, told the Court that he had done no major or horrific crime, such as murder, or any crime involving moral turpitude.
“No one can claim that my case involves moral turpitude or seriousness. In fact, my case is bailable, and it is not against society as a whole,” Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on Gandhi’s behalf.
Singhvi also questioned the complainant Purnesh Modi’s locus in filing the complaint in the first place.
“My case is that this appeal must be successful because the law prohibits such complaints. No one from the so-called 13 crore people (with Modi surname) can come and file a complaint except the ones mentioned in the speech. It is not even their case that I named Mr. Purnesh Modi,” Singhvi stated.
The Court scheduled the case for further consideration on May 2, 2023.
