Rahul Gandhi to file appeal in Gujarat court on April 3 against conviction in defamation case
Surat (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Monday file an appeal before a court in Surat in Gujarat against his conviction in a criminal defamation case.
Gandhi is likely to remain present in the sessions court when the plea will be filed challenging the lower court's order sentencing him to two years in jail, sources said on Sunday.
"A petition challenging the lower court order will be filed in the sessions court of Surat on Monday, with Rahul Gandhi remaining present," a member of his legal team said requesting anonymity.
Senior state and national leaders of the Congress will accompany him to Surat, sources said.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma here had on March 23 convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks.
It had held 52-year-old Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500.
The court had also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to appeal in a higher court.
Gandhi was on March 24 disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction by the Surat court in the criminal defamation case.
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Fire erupts at plastic factory in Ahmedabad; no casualties
Ahmedabad (PTI): A fire broke out at a plastic granules and mould manufacturing factory in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Sunday morning, an official said.
No casualties were reported in the incident, he said.
The blaze erupted around 8 am at Processo Plast Enterprise in the Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's Additional Chief Officer (fire) Mihir Rana told PTI.
Thick plumes of smoke were seen billowing into the sky, visible from a considerable distance in the area.
"The unit closed after the night shift and the fire broke out in the morning in the ground floor's storage facility section due to unidentified reasons," Rana said.
Nine fire tenders and several other firefighting vehicles were rushed to the spot, and the blaze was brought under control by 11 am, he said.
Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to the first floor. However, machinery and plastic materials were damaged on the ground floor, he said, adding that the exact cause of the blaze was under investigation.
