India's main opposition party Congress on Friday said it would approach the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court rejected Rahul Gandhi's request to review his conviction in a defamation case related to his 2019 Modi surname remark.
Gandhi was Congress' chief in the past.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday termed the lower court's conviction as "just, proper, and legal".
While delivering the verdict, the court also observed that Gandhi is additionally facing nearly 10 criminal defamation complaints.
The Congress party, meanwhile, confirmed that Gandhi will now approach the apex court.
In the 2019 election, while addressing a rally in Karnataka state, Gandhi said, “Why do all thieves have Modi surname in common?”
After this, a criminal defamation complaint was filed against Gandhi by BJP legislator Purnesh Modi, who approached the court contending that the former Congress chief had tarnished and defamed the Modi community.
Importance of Court Verdict
The court's judgment comes at a time when the parliamentary election is barely 10 months away. Gandhi, who has been in electoral politics for 20 years, might have to give the 2024 election a miss.
Gandhi first fought an election in 2004 from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi constituency and won. He successfully won in 2009 and 2014 from the same constituency, but suffered a setback in 2019 when he lost his seat.
However, he also contested a seat in Kerala state and returned to parliament.
Ahead of the national polls, he has positioned himself as one of the main challengers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
While Gandhi has never been a minister or state chief, he is nonetheless one of the most talked about and targeted opposition members.