From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad on Tuesday refused an interim protection to Rahul Gandhi, reserving its ruling in the defamation case post HC vacation that ends on June 5.
A single-member bench of Justice Hemant Prachchhak reserved its orders on the plea filed by Rahul and declined his senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s plea for granting an interim protection.
Before the Court, Senior Advocate Nanavaty contended that Gandhi was not disqualified by Court or by the Complainant but by the operation of a law made by Parliament and so he cannot argue that he is suffering an irreversible loss.
He said Rahul has shown no remorse for his statements, Why all thieves shaare Modi surname, made in 2019 and even after his conviction by the Surat court, he did not stop making comments, asserting that he is not scared of sentence. If Rahul does not want to apologise, it is his right, but then he need not comee to the court with prayers.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi (for Rahul Gandhi) strongly argued that the alleged offence did not involve any element of moral turpitude, it was a non-cognizable, bailable and no-serious offence and so he conviction should be suspended.
Singhvi also argued that a speech given during the election campaign will attract Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution with fuller powers. He added that the flower of this provision needs a fuller bloom as is a free speech right.
