Rahul Gandhi Gets No Relief From Gujarat HC, Conviction Continues, Order Reserved

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday reserved its decision in the plea filed by Congress leader and disqualified MP Rahul Gandhi seeking a stay of his conviction in the ‘Modi-Thieves’ remark case.

The Bench of Justice Hemant Prachchhak also declines to provide Rahul Gandhi any interim protection, as requested by his counsel Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Justice Prachchhak stated that he will pronounce the final verdict in the matter after the Court reopens following its summer holiday.

The High Court’s last working day is May 5, and it will reopen on June 5.

“I will pass the order during vacation and pronounce it afterward,” Justice Prachchhak remarked.

The trial court was also directed by the High Court to produce the original “record and proceedings” of the case.

The arguments were reserved after Senior Advocate Nirupam Nanvaty (for the Complainant-Purnesh Modi) strongly argued before the bench of Justice Hemant M. Prachchhak that the alleged offence did not involve the element of moral turpitude, that it was a non-cognizable, bailable, and non-serious offence, and that the conviction should be suspended.

He further claimed that in several situations involving far more heinous crimes, the courts had stayed the conviction.