Top Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi appealed on Monday against the defamation conviction that resulted in his expulsion from parliament two weeks ago.
\nGandhi, 52, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment in a case about remarks he made in 2019 seen as insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and those sharing his surname, is looking to overturn the conviction before elections due next year.
\nThe sentence also renders Gandhi ineligible to stand in the polls, which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win convincingly.
\nModi\u2019s government is widely accused of using the defamation law to silence critics, and the case in the premier\u2019s home state of Gujarat is one of several lodged against his chief opponent in recent years.
\n\u201cIn this struggle, truth is my weapon, and truth is my support!\u201d Gandhi tweeted after he left the crowded court complex in Surat city in the western state of Gujarat, waving to supporters and Congress members who had gathered in large numbers.
\nGandhi was accompanied by his younger sister, Priyanka Vadra, en route from the airport to the court in a bus with large windows through which he waved at supporters.
\nThe first hearing will be on April 13, Hiral Panwala, a member of Gandhi\u2019s legal team, told Reuters.
\nCritics say the defamation conviction came after Gandhi repeatedly raised the issue of Modi\u2019s relationship with business tycoon Gautam Adani both inside and outside parliament.
\nThe two men \u2014 both Gujaratis \u2014 have been close associates for decades, but Adani\u2019s business empire has been subject to renewed scrutiny this year after a US investment firm accused it of \u201cbrazen\u201d corporate fraud, which it denies.
\nGandhi is the leading face of the opposition Congress party, once the dominant force in Indian politics but now a shadow of its former self.
\nHe is the scion of India\u2019s premier political dynasty and the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
\nBut he has struggled to challenge the electoral juggernaut of Modi\u2019s party and its nationalist appeals to the country\u2019s Hindu majority.
\nConviction
\nGandhi\u2019s conviction hinged on a comment he made while campaigning ahead of the last general election, when he referred to two fugitive businessmen, both surnamed Modi, and asked: \u201cHow come all thieves have the name Modi?\u201d
\nPrime Minister Modi and his BJP swept back to power in that election. Gandhi\u2019s Congress recorded its worst performance ever, winning 52 seats in the 542-member lower house of parliament.
\nA magistrate\u2019s court in Surat last month ruled that Gandhi had defamed everyone with the surname Modi but his lawyer said Gandhi had been referring to Prime Minister Modi and the two businessmen while talking about accusations of high-level corruption.
\n\u201cThe 2019 speech was not aimed at defaming millions of people having the surname Modi,\u201d Panwala told Reuters.
\nGandhi will not have to attend the April 13 hearing.
\nTwo more defamation cases have been filed elsewhere against Gandhi for the same comment and he is due to appear in court in one of them in the eastern city of Patna on April 12.
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