Rahul Gandhi disqualification case: Congress moving cautiously in filing appeal

Congress is moving cautiously in filing an appeal in the ‘Modi’ defamation case against Rahul Gandhi as they feel that any loophole in the petition would jeopardise his stand, as more cases on the same issue are coming up before courts in more than one state.

Sources said Rahul’s legal team headed by senior MP Abhishek Singhvi will “soon” file the appeal against his two-year sentence in the sessions court in Surat but will not rush through it, as they were preparing a “fool-proof case” keeping in mind similar petitions in other parts of the country.

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A Patna court has summoned Rahul to appear before it on April 12. A similar case is in Ranchi too, sources said. A Surat district court had sentenced Rahul to two years in prison for his 2019 remarks ‘how come all thieves have Modi as common surname’ while referring to Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi.

A senior leader said a petition or an appeal in a court is a public document and Rahul’s opponents could use it in courts in Patna, Ranchi and elsewhere. That is why the legal team wants to have an “error-free” appeal, he said.

There is no hurry and Rahul has 30 days time to appeal, he said even as the BJP alleged that it could be a “hit job” by the Congress to keep their leader in jail.

The leader reasoned that the judgement needs to be translated and there is an emphasis on the question of jurisdiction of the case. The Congress had questioned how Rahul could be tried in Surat in Gujarat for a speech he made in Karnataka’s Kolar.

Sources said the court verdict has dedicated substantial space on the question of jurisdiction and Rahul’s legal team wanted a translation of the order in Gujarati to frame their arguments.

“The lawyers are very careful. They are not leaving anything to chance. We should trust the lawyer. They know what they are doing,” the leader said.

The leader said the Congress and other Opposition parties would continue their protest on the Adani affair and the disqualification of Rahul from Lok Sabha even as the government is likely to go ahead with passing some bills in the din without discussion.