Final arguments in defamation case against Rahul in Surat court today
Adding that no political party would say bad things against any samaj of 13 crore during elections, the defense lawyer argued that it was just about “Modi” surname of Narendra Modi, Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi and not any community.
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi The Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Justice HH Verma on Thursday fixed the final arguments in the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for Friday, after defense lawyer Kirit Panwala sought more time on the fourth day of arguments Thursday.
The case, filed by BJP MLA from Surat West seat, Purnesh Modi, pertains to Rahul’s alleged remarks at a Lok Sabha election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, “Why all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi?”
Arguing that there is no community by the name of Modi, defense lawyer said, “The complainant portrays Surat Modhvanik Samaj as Modi Samaj (community). There is no evidence of Modi Samaj in any of the documents of the constitution of Surat Modh Vanik Samaj.”
As per the complainant, there are over 13 crore Modi people staying in India, Panwala said, adding, “There is no documentary evidence submitted to the court… As per the Supreme Court judgements, if a complainant files a complaint, he should be a member of an identifiable community.”
Adding that no political party would say bad things against any samaj of 13 crore during elections, the defense lawyer argued that it was just about “Modi” surname of Narendra Modi, Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi and not any community.
Arguing that one should go through the entire speech and not some portion of speech, Panwala said, “One sentence of the speech should not be treated as the base of defamation. The citizens of India has the right to criticise the functioning of the government and their officials. The complainant Purnesh Modi had changed his surname from Bhootwala to Modi, earlier. The change of surname was not proved in the court… and he cannot file complaint.”
Later talking to The Indian Express, Panwala said, “We have sought more time from the court… We are hopeful that the final arguments will be finished Friday.”
In his final submission before the court on February 28, Purnesh Modi’s lawyer Ketan Reshamwala mentioned citing earlier instances that Rahul Gandhi is habitual of giving defamatory statements in public meetings and that something should be done to stop him.
“In 2015, Rahul Gandhi remarked that was involved in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. A court complaint was filed and summons was issued against Rahul Gandhi… he challenged it in the Mumbai High Court, which rejected his plea. Even the Supreme court rejected his application against the Mumbai HC order. The case trial is going on,” he had said.
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