Indian opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi has been sentenced to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case.
Gandhi was convicted by the court in Gujarat state for 2019 comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname during an election rally. In the meantime, he will not go to jail immediately. He was granted bail for 30 days and will file an appeal against the conviction.
Gandhi was present in court for sentencing, which comes a year before general elections are due.
Speaking at an election rally in Karnataka state in April 2019, ahead of the last general election, Rahul Gandhi had said, “Why do all these thieves have Modi as their surname? Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi.”
Nirav Modi is a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon while Lalit Modi is a former chief of the Indian Premier League who has been banned for life by the country’s cricket board. Gandhi argued that he had made the comment to highlight corruption and it was not directed against any community.
The case against him was filed on the basis of a complaint by Purnesh Modi, a lawmaker from India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party, who argued that Gandhi’s comments had defamed the entire Modi community.
However, some people have disclosed that they are puzzled by the order. Legal scholar, Gautam Bhatia tweeted that “references to a generic class of persons” – surnames in this case – are not “actionable unless an individual can show a direct reference to themselves”.
“If a man says ‘all lawyers are thieves’, then I, as a lawyer, cannot file a case against him for defamation unless I can show its imputation aimed at me.”
Gautam Bhatia
India’s criminal defamation law is British-era legislation under which there can be a maximum prison sentence of two years, a fine or both. Free speech advocates have often argued that the law goes against the principles of freedom and that it is used by politicians to silence their critics.
In 2016, some top Indian politicians including Rahul Gandhi filed legal pleas arguing for defamation to be decriminalized. However, India’s Supreme Court upheld the validity of the law, saying that the “right to free speech cannot mean that a citizen can defame the other”.
“We Will Fight And Win”
The Congress party tweeted that Gandhi would appeal, adding, “We will fight and win.”
Gandhi has not commented publicly yet but has tweeted a quote in Hindi from India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi; “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, and non-violence the means to get it.”
Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer, Kirit Panwala, told reporters that Gandhi had told the judge after the order that he had made the speech “in favour of democracy”.
The lawyer also stated that their defence of Gandhi was based on four points.
“Firstly, Mr. Gandhi is not a resident of Gujarat and so, before the complaint, an inquiry should be conducted. Secondly, there is no community named Modi. Thirdly, there is no association of people with Modi as their surname and lastly, there was no ill intention behind Mr. Gandhi’s speech.”
Kirit Panwala
A number of people have raised questions over Gandhi’s status as a Member of Parliament after the conviction.
Defamation, by itself, cannot be a ground for disqualification in India. A Member of Parliament can be disqualified from the office for offences ranging from promoting enmity, and election-related fraud. But they can also be disqualified if sentenced for two years or more for an offence.
Rahul Gandhi is the descendant of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, which has given three Prime Ministers to India. His great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was the first and longest-serving Prime Minister of India. His grandmother, Indira Gandhi, was the first female Prime Minister of the country, and his father, Rajiv Gandhi, was India’s youngest Prime Minister.
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