NEW DELHI: The Surat Sessions Court rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea requesting to suspend the verdict in the defamation case over his Modi surname remark. With this, his disqualification from MP post will continue. His plea was rejected by judge Robin Mogera.

Rahul can next approach the Gujarat High Court. Along with convicting him, the additional sessions court suspended the two-year jail sentence imposed by the Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. Rahul claimed that his remarks did not defame the Modi community or the petitioner.

BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case against Rahul’s remarks ‘why all thieves have Modi surname in common’. The magistrate court found Rahul guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. Following the verdict, the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Rahul from the MP post.