Defamation Case

Rahul to file appeal in Surat court against conviction in defamation case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Gujarat's Surat city on Monday to file an appeal in a court against his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks. Senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states, other national and state party leaders are likely to accompany him to the court, sources said. Gandhi's lawyers said the matter is likely to be taken up for hearing by the sessions court on Monday itself. The Congress leader will seek suspension of his sentence by the sessions court, they said. Gandhi will land in Surat at around 2 pm, as per the Congress sources. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress Rajya Sabha member K C Venugopal and other senior party leaders will also be in Surat. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are also likely to be in the city as Gandhi moves court, the

Rahul Gandhi to file appeal against conviction in defamation case on Monday

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Gujarat's Surat city on Monday to file an appeal before a sessions court against his conviction in a criminal defamation case, his lawyer said on Sunday. Gandhi will be present in the sessions court to file the plea challenging a metropolitan court's order which sentenced him to two years in jail, party sources said. "Rahul Gandhi will reach the sessions court in Surat to file an appeal at around 3 pm," his lawyer Kirit Panwala said. Senior Congress leaders will also be in Surat when Gandhi arrives on Monday afternoon, party sources said. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma here had on March 23 convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his Modi surname remarks. It had held 52-year-old Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500. The court had also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to appeal in a higher court. Gandh

HC issues summons to Uddhav, Aditya Thackeray, Raut on defamation plea

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday summoned former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on a defamation suit filed by MP Rahul Ramesh Shewale for allegedly levelling frivolous corruption allegations against him and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. Justice Prateek Jalan admitted the defamation suit and issued summons to Uddhav, Aditya and Raut. The high court also asked Google, Twitter, Uddhav, Aditya and Raut to file their written statements within 30 days on the plea seeking removal of the alleged defamatory content from social media platforms. The court has posted the matter for further hearing on April 17. Shewale was represented through senior advocates Rajiv Nayar and Arvind Verma and lawyers Chirag Shah and Utsav Trivedi.

What options are available with Rahul Gandhi now after his conviction?

Rahul Gandhi was convicted and handed a two-year jail sentence for his "Modi" surname remarks in a 2019 rally in Karnataka

Rahul Gandhi will not be disqualified as MP if conviction stayed: Experts

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will not be disqualified as a member of parliament if the appellate court stays the conviction and suspends the two- year jail term awarded to him by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his alleged "Modi surname" remarks, legal experts said on Thursday. Senior lawyer and constitutional law expert Rakesh Dwivedi referred to the apex court's 2013 and 2018 judgements in the Lily Thomas and the Lok Prahari matters respectively and said suspension of sentence and stay of conviction were necessary to escape disqualification as a lawmaker under the Representation of the People (RP) Act. "The appellate court can suspend the conviction and the sentence and grant him bail. In that case there will be no disqualification," he said, adding "However the politicians must choose their words carefully to avoid getting entangled with law." The debate over possibilities of Gandhi being disqualified as an MP must take note of the legal position enumerated

Gujarat court's verdict shows Rahul Gandhi is failing legally too: BJP

The BJP claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also "failing legally" after a Gujarat court verdict on Thursday held him guilty in a 2019 criminal defamation case. A court in Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in the case filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname? BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Gandhi should consider what he says, particularly while using words that may be construed as being disrespectful about a community or person. "He (Gandhi) should be careful about the words and he should very categorically respect Indian tradition and the Indian Constitution, but unfortunately he is failing not only politically but also morally and constitutionally and this (the verdict) shows that he is also failing legally," Trivedi told reporters here. "I think in politics today everybody should be careful about any words and particularly any disrespectful word towards any community

Rahul Gandhi should be booked for insulting national icons: Shiv Sena

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Thursday welcomed the conviction of Rahul Gandhi for his remarks over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname and said he should also be booked for insulting national icons like V D Savarkar and defaming the country abroad. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre said Gandhi is used to making personal comments. He should also be booked for insulting national icons like Veer Savarkar and defaming the country abroad (a reference to Gandhi's recent comments at Cambridge University which has stoked controversy), Mhatre said. A court in Surat in Gujarat on Thursday sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his Modi surname remarks. The court also granted Gandhi bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court, the Congress leader's lawyer said. The case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged how come all the thieves have Modi as the common .

Rahul Gandhi convicted in Modi surname defamation case: What we know so far

After conviction, Rahul Gandhi's sentence was suspended and bail was granted to enable him to move an appeal against his conviction within 30 days

Shekhawat records statement before court in defamation case against Raj CM

Shekhawat filed a defamation case against Gehlot on March 4, claiming that Gehlot made defamatory statements against him in connection with the Sanjivani Credit Society scam

Delhi HC stays proceedings against Khurana in Sisodia's defamation case

The Delhi HC today stayed trial court proceedings against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson and media relations in-charge Harish Khurana in defamation case filed by Delhi Deputy CM Sisodia

Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: Maha court adjourns hearing to Feb 4

A court in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi town has adjourned the hearing in a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to February 4. The matter came up for hearing on Saturday before Judicial Magistrate First Class L C Wadikar. After hearing the counsels of Gandhi and complainant Rajesh Kunte, who is a local activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the magistrate put up the case for hearing on February 4. In 2014, Kunte had filed the case against Gandhi after watching his speech in Thane's Bhiwandi township, where the Congress leader alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's advocate Narayan Iyer told PTI on Monday that the Congress leader's application for exemption from personal appearance on Saturday was allowed by the court. He also said that the matter of permanent exemption from appearance for the hearings sought by Gandhi will be argued on February 4. In 2018, the court framed charges against Gandhi in the case, but he had

Manish Sisodia defamation case: Delhi HC stays trial court proceedings

Sisodia had filed a case against several BJP leaders in 2019 for alleging corruption in the construction of classrooms in Delhi's government schools in a press conference

Ex-Mumbai police commissioner withdraws defamation suit against Arnab

Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh on Wednesday withdrew a defamation suit filed against TV journalist Arnab Goswami and ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd which owns Republic TV. While allowing the withdrawal request, additional sessions judge V D Kedar imposed a nominal cost of Rs 1,500 on Singh, who has now retired, to be paid to Goswami. "It is not in dispute that due to the filing of the suit the defendant has to engage an advocate. I feel cost needs to be imposed for withdrawal of the suit unconditionally," the judge said. Singh filed a defamation suit in 2021 against Goswami and the owners of the Republic TV newschannel, seeking damages of Rs 90,00,000. In October 2020, Goswami made several false and defamatory statements on his news show on Republic TV in relation to the alleged TRP (Television Rating Points) rigging scam which Mumbai Police were probing, Singh claimed in his suit. The "tone and tenor" of the show implied that Singh was driven by malice and vendett

Hearing of defamation case against Rahul Gandhi adjourned to Jan 7

The hearing of the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday adjourned to January 7 by a court in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district as he is busy with the nationwide Bharat Jodo Yatra. The exemption from personal appearance for Gandhi was granted by Bhiwandi Judicial Magistrate First Class IC Wadikar. "The defamation matter came up for hearing on Saturday. It has been adjourned for January 7, when arguments will be heard regarding permanent exemption of Gandhi," the Congress leader's advocate Narayan Iyer told PTI. The complainant Rahul Kunte was not present in court either during the day as he is out of station. The defamation case relates to comments made by the Congress leader during a speech on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the death of Mahatma Gandhi.

Delhi HC asks Satyendar Jain to approach trial court in defamation case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain to approach the trial court to challenge the proceedings against him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Delhi BJP leader Chhail Bihari Goswami. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma allowed the AAP leader to withdraw his plea challenging the orders by a magisterial court here and granted him liberty to approach the trial court by way of a revision petition instead of approaching the high court. "File a revision petition. Why to lose one forum? the judge said. Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Jain, said the petitioner filed the plea because no case was made out to proceed against him as his alleged statements do not fulfil the ingredients to constitute the offence of defamation. Goswami had filed a defamation complaint against Jain and several other AAP leaders, claiming the accused had levelled defamatory remarks against him in connection with funds of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). Gos

MK Stalin defamation case: Kishore K Swamy sent to custody till Dec 5

After being arrested for putting out a tweet 'demeaning' Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Kishore K Swamy was sent to judicial custody by the Egmore Criminal Court.Swamy will be in judicial custody till December 5.The Court ordered to send, Kishore K Swamy, to Puzhal Prison in Chennai district.Chennai City Police arrested the social media commentator, accused of putting out a tweet demeaning Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.Swamy was arrested by the Central Crime Branch's Cyber Crime Police in Pondicherry for posting defamatory content for TN Chief Minister MK Stalin on Twitter."Kishore K Swamy has been posting political comments on social media. Kishore K Swamy, who has a pro-BJP stance, has been consistently critical of the DMK and its supporting parties. Political critic Kishore K Swamy was arrested and jailed in June under the Gangster Act in 7 cases of defamatory comments against DMK's former Chief Ministers and journalists," police said.The complainant, Imran had filed .

Hearing in RSS defamation case against Rahul Gandhi adjourned till Dec 3

A court at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday adjourned till December 3 this year hearing in the defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). On the next date, the court will also hear Gandhi's plea for permanent exemption from appearance in the case. Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) L C Wadikar is hearing the matter pertaining to the defamation case against Gandhi filed by RSS activist Rajesh Kunte. Kunte had in 2014 filed the case after watching Gandhi's speech in Bhiwandi, where the Congress leader alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. Kunte had claimed that this statement slandered the reputation of the Sangh. In 2018, a court in Thane had framed charges against Gandhi in the case, but he had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Gandhi's counsel Narayan Iyer said Gandhi's plea about permanent exemption from appearance was filed two dates b

Digvijaya Singh gets bail in defamation case related to comment on RSS

A court here on Saturday granted bail to senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in a defamation case over his claim that people associated with the RSS were receiving money from Pakistan. The district and sessions court granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 after he appeared before it. Speaking to reporters later, Singh claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was not a registered organization, hence it could not be defamed. Speaking at a press conference in Bhind in 2019, Singh had allegedly claimed that some people associated with the RSS were receiving money from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistani spy agency. Avdhesh Singh Bhadoria, a lawyer, filed the defamation case against Singh after coming across the statement. The Congress leader had made the statement while referring to an alleged espionage racket that had been busted in Madhya Pradesh two years earlier. After a magistrate's court dismissed Bhadoria's defamation complaint against .

Assam court summons Manish Sisodia in CM Himanta Sarma's defamation case

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was on Tuesday summoned by a court in Assam to appear in person before it on September 29 in a criminal defamation case filed by the northeastern state's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Kamrup, Monmee Sarma, issued the summons to Sisodia for allegedly making defamatory statements against Sarma. Sisodia, referring to media reports at a press conference in New Delhi on June 4, had said that while the Assam government procured PPE kits for Rs 600 a piece from other companies, Sarma gave urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife and son's business partners for Rs 990 a piece. Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of the Assam chief minister, had on June 21 filed a Rs 100-crore defamation case against the Delhi deputy CM, who had alleged corruption in giving PPE supply contracts at above market rates. The chief minister had on August 5 recorded his statement before the court regarding his case against Sisodia.

Sisodia to appear at court in a defamation case filed by Assam CM

A lower court in Guwahati has summoned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to appear before the court in connection with a defamation case filed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma