Rahul Gandhi appears in Surat court for defamation case against his remarks on Modi surname

BJP legislator from Surat, Purnesh Modi, had filed a complaint against Gandhi in April 2019 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 that deal with defamation.

Surat: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (October 29) appeared before a magistrate's court in Surat city of Gujarat to record his statement in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against him over his remark on the "Modi surname".

This was the third time the Congress MP appeared before the court in connection with the 2019 case. The court had on October 26 directed Gandhi to appear before it between 3 pm and 6 pm on October 29 to record his statement.

The former Congress president landed at the Surat Airport in the afternoon and headed to the court, situated in the Athwalines area of the city. Chief Judicial Magistrate A N Dave had earlier asked Gandhi to appear on October 29 to record his statement further, after the testimonies of two new witnesses were taken since the Congress leader last appeared before the court on June 24 this year.