NEW DELHI:  On a Friday noon, Supreme Court commenced the hearing of a plea presented by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, challenging the Gujarat High Court's verdict that refused to suspend his conviction in a defamation case related to his "Modi surname" remark. Earlier this year, Rahul Gandhi faced disqualification as an MP due to his comments concerning PM Modi. Representing Rahul Gandhi in the Supreme Court, Abhishek Manu Singhvi stated that Rahul Gandhi did not name anyone in his speech.

Challenging the trial court's 13 cases, Singhvi questioned the lack of convictions and criminal incidents. He emphasized that there were no criminal antecedents or convictions in cases filed by BJP workers, defending Rahul Gandhi's innocence. Singhvi also pointed out that Rahul Gandhi had suffered, losing two Parliament sessions and being silenced for eight years.

Regarding the possibility of an acquittal, Singhvi raised the question if it was Rahul's last chance to achieve it. The Supreme Court had previously informed Singhvi that he needed to present an exceptional case to obtain a stay on conviction.

On the other side, Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing complainant Purnesh Modi, argued that Rahul Gandhi's speech spanned over 50 minutes and presented a plethora of evidence and speech clippings attached to the Election Commission of India's records.

In an affidavit, Gandhi maintained his innocence, stating that he had always asserted his non-guilt and deemed the conviction unsustainable. He expressed that if an apology or compounding of the offense were necessary, he would have done it much earlier.

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