'We have differences but...': Kejriwal's tweet after Rahul Gandhi found guilty

Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Arvind Kejriwal's support for Cong MP comes amid his AAP's 'poster wars' spat with the BJP.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal backed Rahul Gandhi Thursday after the Congress MP was handed a suspended two-year jail term for remarks a Gujarat court ruled found defamatory. The Aam Aadmi Party boss accused the Bharatiya Janata Party - in power in Gujarat and at the centre - of hatching a 'conspiracy... to eliminate non-BJP leaders and parties by prosecuting them'.

Rahul Gandhi Modi surname case: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal supported Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after a Surat court held him guilty in the 2019 'Modi surname' defamation case. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Rahul Gandhi conviction LIVE: 'My brother will never be afraid' - Priyanka

"We have differences with the Congress, but it is not right to implicate Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case like this… jJob of the public and the opposition to ask questions. We respect the court but disagree with the decision."

Earlier today a court in Gujarat's Surat found Gandhi guilty in a criminal defamation case filed by ex-minister Purnesh Modi.

The case dated back to before the 2019 national election, when Rahul Gandhi was campaigning in Karnataka and said 'all thieves have Modi as the common surname'; the remark was in reference to fugitive businessmen like Nirav Modi.

Shortly after the verdict Gandhi quoted Mahatma Gandhi: "My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it."

READ | 'Truth my God': Rahul quotes Mahatma in 1st reaction after conviction

Minutes later his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also tweeted, accusing a 'scared' BJP of trying to frighten Rahul into silence.

"Whole machinery of scared power is trying to suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhiji by imposing price, punishment, discrimination. My brother (has) never been afraid… have lived speaking the truth, will continue to speak the truth."

"(He) will continue to raise the voice of the people of the country. The power of truth and the love of crores of countrymen are with him," she tweeted in Hindi.

What now for Rahul Gandhi?

An elected representative sentenced for any offence for two years or more faces immediate disqualification under the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.

A provision that granted three months' protection from disqualification was struck down in 2013 as 'ultra vires' by the Supreme Court in the Lily Thomas case. In Gandhi's case, the court that found him guilty suspended its sentence for 30 days - on request - to give him a chance to challenge its decision.

READ | 2-year jail for Rahul in 'Modi surname' remark: What was the case?

This means the disqualification will kick in a month later, unless Gandhi can get a stay on the conviction (and sentence) from another court.

Rahul Gandhi cannot approach the Gujarat High Court or Supreme Court at this time since this is a criminal case, but a third party could - on grounds the procedure and manner of the Surat court's ruling hurt the larger public interest.

AAP supports Congress

Meanwhile, Kejriwal's backing of the Congress comes amid his 'poster wars' spat with the BJP, which has seen the two trade billboards targeting each other.

The Delhi chief minister said he had no objection to posters criticising him and urged authorities 'not to arrest' those responsible for pasted placards that said 'Kejriwal hatao, Delhi bachao', or 'Remove Kejriwal, save Delhi'.

READ | AAP criticises arrests, cases registered over posters targeting PM Modi

These posters cropped up after the AAP splashed several around the national capital targeting prime minister Narendra Modi. The AAP's posters read - 'Modi hatao, desh bachao', or 'Remove Modi, save India' - and were seen as the first exchange of fire between the two ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.