Modi surname case: 'Judgement only redoubles our resolve to pursue matter further', says Congress after Rahul setback

Shortly after Gujarat High Court rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking stay on conviction in connection with the Modi surname defamation case, the Congress, in its first reaction, on Friday said that the "judgement only redoubles party's resolve to pursue the matter further."Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "We have noted the verdict of the single-judge bench of the Gujarat High Court on the disqualification of @RahulGandhi. The reasoning of the Hon'ble judge is being studied, as it should be, and Dr. Abhishek Singhvi will be briefing the media in detail at 3pm. The judgement only redoubles our resolve to pursue the matter further."While dismissing Rahul Gandhi's plea, Justice Hemant Prachchhak noted that Gandhi is already facing 10 cases across India, adding the order of the lower court was "just, proper and legal" in convicting the Congress leader.The HC noted that there is no reasonable ground to stay the conviction.A stay to the conviction would have paved the way for Gandhi's reinstatement as a Member of Parliament.A metropolitan magistrate's court in Surat on 23 March sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail after convicting him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (criminal defamation) in a 2019 case filed by BJP Gujarat MLA Purnesh Modi.Welcoming the HC verdit, Purnesh Modi, on court's observation that Gandhi has had a history of making such remarks, said, "He (Rahul) should think about it and not create such histories...,""...Everyone should accept the court's order. That is Satyamev Jayate in its real sense..." added Purnesh Modi.The MLA had filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi over his "how come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.With inputs from agencies