Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, July 15, approached the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat High Court’s dismissal of his plea to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark. It was his conviction in the case that eventually led to his disqualification as MP from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.

The Gujarat HC on July 7 observed that Rahul Gandhi is seeking a stay on the conviction on “absolutely non-existent grounds” and that there are as many as 10 cases pending against him.

On March 23, a Gujarat court held Rahul Gandhi guilty of criminal defamation for his statement from 2019 and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment. After the sentencing, he was disqualified as a Member of Parliament. Rahul Gandhi was granted bail on the same day by the Surat court that convicted him and was given 30 days to appeal to a higher court.