‘Satyameva Jayate’: Priyanka Gandhi hails SC relief for Rahul in defamation case
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case and restored his status as a member of Parliament.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday hailed Supreme Court's decision to stay Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the 2019 criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark, and cited a quote by Gautam Buddha which said “truth cannot be long hidden”.
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth” ~Gautama Buddha," Priyanka Gandhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Gandhi further thanked the apex court for the “fair” decision and wrote “Satyameva Jayate”.
Meanwhile, the party's general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the top court's judgment is a “strong vindication of truth and justice.”
“Despite the relentless efforts of the BJPs machinery, Rahul Gandhi has refused to bend, break or bow, choosing instead to place his faith in the judicial process. Let this be a lesson to the BJP and its acolytes: you can do your absolute worst but we will not back down. We will continue to expose and call out your failures as a Government and as a party. We will continue to uphold our Constitutional ideals and repose faith in our institutions which you so desperately want to destroy. Satyameva Jayate!," he said.
A three-judge top court bench of justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar restored Rahul Gandhi's status as a member of Parliament on Friday saying, "The ramifications of Gandhi's conviction are wide since it will also affect the right of the electorates who elected him.
"No reason has been given by the trial judge for imposing maximum sentence, the order of conviction needs to be stayed pending final adjudication," the bench said.
Also read: Supreme Court's three observations while suspending Rahul Gandhi's defamation conviction
The top court was hearing a plea by Gandhi challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict which had dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction.
Former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi had filed a criminal defamation case in 2019 against Gandhi over his "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.
After the Supreme Court's verdict, the BJP MLA said that he “welcomes the verdict” but he will “continue the legal battle in court”.
