NEW DELHI: Congress spokesperson and Supreme Court lawyer Manu Singhvi said that the Surat court verdict that sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail was erroneous and that it will not legally stand. He also said that the Congress will file an appeal against the verdict. Singhvi explained that Rahul Gandhi is likely to be disqualified under the Representation of the People Act as the court has not issued a stay on the conviction. He also pointed out that not giving time to file an appeal against that judgment was not common justice.

"We believe that the judgment is fraught with errors and legally unsustainable conclusions. We will soon file an appeal in the higher court. The plaintiff in a defamation case must be the person defamed. He must state how he was defamed. None of the individuals mentioned in the speech has complained against Rahul," Singhvi said.

Singhvi stated that the complainant discontinued his attempts to go to a higher court when a new magistrate was appointed. “It is that second person (magistrate) who appears to have passed the order of conviction,” he said.

"The incident took place in Karnataka, outside the jurisdiction of the court in Surat. After being found guilty, the sentence was passed hastily without a special hearing. Rahul's speech at Kolar was aimed at the will of the people. It was not targeting three individuals. Its content is political and rises in price. So it is debatable whether the offence was committed by speech," Singhvi added.