Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will file an appeal before a court in Surat, Gujarat, on Monday against his conviction in a criminal defamation case.
Gandhi is likely to remain present in the sessions court when the plea will be filed challenging the lower court’s order sentencing him to two years in jail, sources said on Sunday.
”A petition challenging the lower court order will be filed in the sessions court of Surat on Monday, with Rahul Gandhi remaining present,” a member of his legal team said, requesting anonymity.
Senior state and national leaders of the Congress will accompany him to Surat, sources said.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma here convicted Gandhi on March 23 and sentenced him to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks.
It had held 52-year-old Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500.
The court had also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days so he could appeal to a higher court.
Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 24 following his conviction by the Surat court in the criminal defamation case.
