‘Truth is my God,’ Rahul Gandhi quotes Mahatma Gandhi after being convicted for defamation; Congress says will fight as per law

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today quoted Mahatma Gandhi after a Surat court pronounced him guilty in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rahul Gandhi posted on his Twitter account that “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it- Mahatma Gandhi.”

The Congress MP was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat district court which granted him bail and suspended his sentence for 30 days to let him appeal the court verdict. The Congress leader was present in court while the court pronounced the judgment.

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that it will fight the judgment as per law.

Kharge told the media that “He has been granted bail. We knew from the beginning because they kept changing judges. We believe in law; judiciary and we will fight against this as per law.”

The Surat District Court pronounced the verdict in the case for Rahul Gandhi’s alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remarks on a complaint lodged by the BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.

Rahul Gandhi made remarks at a rally in Karnataka’s Kolar, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He has been convicted under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Ketan Reshamwala (Advocate for Purnesh Modi) stated that “The sentence awarded is for two years and against that sentence, he has pleaded that he may be released on bail till appeal period and as per law, the Court has granted him bail for 30 days and until appeal, the sentence is suspended by the Court.”