Form of words:
face: A Surat magistrate court has directed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on October 29 to record his statement in connection with a criminal defamation case against him over his remarks on the “Modi surname”.
On Monday, Chief Judicial Magistrate AN Dave asked Gandhi to appear on October 29 to record his statement as the testimony of two new witnesses was taken since the Congress leader last appeared in court on June 24 this year.
Earlier, Gandhi had appeared before the court in October 2019 and pleaded not guilty for his remarks.
“The court on Monday orally directed Rahul Gandhi to appear on October 29 to record his further statement on the testimony of two new witnesses. He is likely to be present in the court that day between 3 pm and 6 pm.
In April 2019, BJP MLA from Surat, Purnesh Modi had filed a defamation case against Gandhi under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
In his complaint, the MLA had alleged that Gandhi, while addressing an election rally in 2019, defamed the entire Modi community by saying “How is the common surname of all thieves Modi?”
Purnesh Modi is now a minister in the new Gujarat government led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, which holds the portfolios of roads and buildings, transport, civil aviation and tourism and pilgrimage development.
Since Gandhi’s final appearance before the court, the testimony of two more witnesses was taken – the then election officer of Kolar in Karnataka where the Congress leader gave the speech, and a video recorder employed by the Election Commission to record his speech. Was.
In his speech at a rally in Kolar on April 13, 2019, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the then Congress president had reportedly asked, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how all thieves have the common surname Modi?”
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