India’s Rahul Gandhi found guilty of defamation over Modi remark

AHMEDABAD: An Indian court found opposition leader Rahul Gandhi guilty of defamation on Thursday for a three-year-old campaign trail remark that implied Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a criminal.

Modi’s government has been widely accused of using the law to target and silence critics, and the case in the premier’s home state of Gujarat is one of several filed in recent years against his main opponent.

Gandhi, the opposition Congress Party’s leading figure, was sentenced to two years in prison but was immediately granted bail after his lawyers announced their intention to appeal.

The case arose from a remark made by the 52-year-old during the 2019 election campaign, in which he asked why “all thieves have Modi as (their) common surname.”

His remarks were interpreted as a slur against the prime minister, who went on to win the election by a landslide, as well as those with the same surname.

Gandhi’s lawyer, B. M. Mangukiya, stated that his client had not intended to offend anyone.

“When the magistrate asked Gandhi what he had to say in his defence, Gandhi said he was fighting to expose corruption in the country,” Mangukiya told reporters outside the court.

“His remarks were not intended to offend or insult any community.”

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Gandhi is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of former Indian prime ministers dating back to independence hero Jawaharlal Nehru.

However, the heir to India’s most famous political dynasty has struggled to compete with Modi’s electoral juggernaut and its nationalist appeals to the country’s Hindu majority.

After two landslide election defeats with Gandhi at the helm, his Congress party, a once-mighty force with a proud role in ending British colonial rule 75 years ago, is now a shadow of its former self.

Gandhi was greeted by supporters upon his arrival in court in Surat for the verdict. He is also facing at least two other defamation cases across the country.

Gandhi is also on bail in another money laundering case that has been wending its way through India’s sluggish legal system for over a decade. He denies any financial impropriety.