The Congress leader had earlier appeared in the court on June 24 this year. (Image: AFP/FILE)
During Friday’s hearing, the Congress leader answered “I don’t know” to most of the questions asked by the court based on the recent testimony of two witnesses.
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- Last Update:October 29, 2021, 8:02 pm IS
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi He appeared in a magistrate’s court here on Friday to record his statement in a criminal defamation case filed against him over his remarks about the “Modi surname” during a campaign rally in 2019. He had appeared in court twice before this.
During Friday’s hearing, the Congress leader answered “I don’t know” to most of the questions asked by the court based on the recent testimony of two witnesses – the then election officer of Kolar in Karnataka where Gandhi gave the speech, and shoot that rally. A videographer appointed by the Election Commission to Gandhi claimed ignorance and said “I do not know” when Chief Judicial Magistrate AN Dave asked whether he was aware of the appointment of Arun Kumar as the official videographer to shoot the rally.
When asked about other technical details like storing that video in computer, he gave the same reply. The Congress leader had earlier appeared in the court on June 24 this year. After recording the statements of the other two witnesses, the magistrate asked them to appear again on October 29.
He had first appeared in court in October 2019 and pleaded not guilty. Local BJP MLA Purnesh Modi – now a minister in the Gujarat government – filed a case against Gandhi under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with defamation, in October 2019.
He alleged that Gandhi, while addressing an election rally, defamed the entire Modi community by saying, “How come all thieves have the common surname of Modi?” In his speech at the rally in Kolar on April 13, 2019, before the Lok Sabha elections, the then Congress President had reportedly asked, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how they all have the common surname Modi”. On Friday, Purnesh Modi’s lawyers filed an application seeking the summoning of Chandrappa, the then head of the team that watched the video, as a witness. The magistrate said he would decide on the petition on Saturday.
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