Surat court to deliver verdict on Rahul’s petition against conviction on April 20

A Surat sessions court on Thursday said it would pronounce on April 20 the order on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay to his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark, made four years ago during a poll rally. After hearing arguments from both sides, Additional Sessions Judge Robin Mogera said he would pronounce the order on April 20. Kirit C Panwala, a member of the Gandhi’s legal team, said the verdict would be on the application for an interim stay on conviction. “The verdict is not regarding the main appeal,” Panwala said. A metropolitan magistrate’s court in Surat had, on March 23, sentenced the Congress leader to two years in jail after holding him guilty for his remark “how come all thieves have Modi as the common surname”, made during an election rally in 2019. Source: TNS