The Gujarat High Court is likely to pronounce its order on a petition moved by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has sought a stay on the execution of his conviction in a criminal defamation case for calling people with Modi surnames "thieves." The court had concluded the hearing on May 2 and reserved the order for pronouncement.
The single bench of Justice Hemant Prachchhak will be pronouncing the order. On May 2, the court while reserving the order had refused to grant the former Congress MP any interim relief observing, "After considering a plethora of documents, it is in the interest and fitness of the case that the matter be decided final and no interim protection can be granted...only after through the records of the proceedings the order can be passed."
Justice Prachchak had also said that the final order would come only after summer vacation which ended in the first week of June.
Earlier, in March, a magisterial court in Surat had found Gandhi guilty in the criminal defamation case. He was sentenced to two years of imprisonment, the maximum jail term under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
A day after the judgement, the Wayanad MP was disqualified as a legislator since the law provides that a legislature convicted for two years could be suspended immediately unless the conviction is stayed.
On April 20, Gandhi's appeal for stay on conviction was also rejected by a sessions court in Surat, prompting him to move the high court.