'Will continue to avail all available options', says Congress as Surat court rejects Rahul Gandhi's plea

The Congress on Thursday said it will continue to avail all options still available under the law after a Gujarat court rejected Rahul Gandhi's application for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case.

A court in Gujarat's Surat city rejected Gandhi's application for a stay on his conviction in the case over his "Modi surname" remark.

"We will continue to avail all options still available to us under the law. Dr A M Singhvi will brief the media on Rahul Gandhi's appeal at 4 pm," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

The court of additional sessions judge R P Mogera rejected Gandhi's application for relief pending his appeal against a lower court's order sentencing him to two years in jail in the case.

Gandhi had on April 3 approached the sessions court for appeal against the lower court's order.

A stay on conviction by the sessions court could have paved the way for Gandhi's reinstatement as a Member of Parliament.

Gandhi had approached the sessions court for appeal after the lower court sentenced him to two years in jail while convicting him for criminal defamation over his remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.