Opposition leader in India sentenced to two years in prison for defamation

March 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The leader of the Indian National Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, has been sentenced to two years in jail this Thursday after the resolution of a 2019 case in which he was accused of defamation for a reference to the surname of the Indian prime minister.

According to ‘Indian Express’, the case dates back to statements by Gandhi in which he made reference to the prime minister’s surname ‘Modi’. The Surat District Court finds him guilty of defamation for joking with this surname, very common in India, during a rally in 2019.

“Why all the thieves, be they Nirav Modi (businessman accused by Interpol and the Indian government of criminal conspiracy), Lalit Modi (former head of the Indian Premier League) or Narenda Modi (current Prime Minister of India), Do you have a surname ‘Modi’?” Ghandi said.

The complaint came from the member of the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat Purnesh Modi, who has celebrated the sentence. Gandhi has been released on bail, and has 30 days to appeal to a higher court.

When the verdict was announced, Ghandi posted a tweet with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence is the means to achieve it.”