This man got Rahul Gandhi convicted in ‘Modi surname’ case

Purnesh Modi is basking in the attention as it was his complaint against Gandhi for making derogatory comments during an election rally in the run-up to the 2019 elections in Koral, Karnataka that led to the Congress leader’s conviction

Hyderabad: Even as the entire country is protesting the undemocratic act of the BJP-led Centre to disqualify Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, there is one man who is being praised by all the BJP’s supporters. Purnesh Modi, the 57-year-old MLA from Surat West, is the one who is basking in the attention as it was his complaint against Gandhi for making derogatory comments during an election rally in the run-up to the 2019 elections in Koral, Karnataka that led to the Congress leader’s conviction.

Purnesh Modi, an advocate by profession, joined the BJP in 1984, and went on to become State cabinet minister apart from holding several positions within the party including as its Surat city chief. Modi contested and won as the BJP candidate from Surat during the 2017 Assembly polls and in December 2022, he was re-elected from Surat East constituency but was dropped from the Bhupendra Patel cabinet.

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Purnesh Modi filed the case in April 2019 in the Surat Court and in October 2019, the judge admitted that there was prima facie a case of criminal defamation under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Though Purnesh Modi insisted that Gandhi appear in person at every hearing, the court granted him an exemption from personal appearance. After the court issued a summons, Gandhi appeared in the court on October 10, 2019 and pleaded not guilty. In June 2021, he again appeared before a magistrate’s court in Surat to record his final statement in the case.

Interestingly, Gandhi’s trial witnessed a strange scenario wherein, not the accused, but Purnesh Modi moved the Gujarat High Court to stay the trial proceedings. The chronology of the defamation case throws light on this aspect. The lawsuit was filed on April 16, 2019, and 14 months after receiving a summons, Rahul Gandhi appeared in person before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Surat, AN Dave and recorded his statement.

In March 2022, Purnesh moved the court again and pleaded that Gandhi must appear physically for a second time. Magistrate Dave turned down his request and ordered hearings in the case to begin immediately. An enraged Modi moved the Gujarat High Court for a stay on the hearings. On March 7 2022, the High Court accepted his request and stayed the trial. On February 16, 2023, Modi approached the High Court to vacate the stay. This was after Magistrate Dave was transferred and Harish Verma, who convicted Gandhi, was posted in his place.

What Rahul Gandhi said during election meeting:

“They tell you they are fighting against black money, they make you stand in a line under the sun, they take money from your pockets to put in the bank, and then you come to realise that Nirav Modi stole your money and ran away. Rs.35,000 crore out of your pockets and into his… One small question, how are the names of all these thieves ‘Modi, Modi, Modi’… Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi, and if you search a little more, aur bahut saare Modi niklenge (many more Modis will emerge).”