New Delhi: The Gujarat high court will on Friday, July 7 deliver its verdict on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his Modi surname remark.

According to PTI, Justice Hemant Prachchhak will deliver the verdict at 11:00 am.

A stay on conviction would pave the way for Gandhi’s reinstatement as a member of parliament.

On March 23, a Surat court had convicted Gandhi in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment.

Following the verdict, Gandhi, elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala, was disqualified as MP under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.

The disqualification order was issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 24. The disqualification, however, came into effect from March 23, the day the Surat court had pronounced him guilty.

On April 3, Gandhi moved a sessions court seeking a stay on his conviction, which was rejected on April 20. However, he was granted bail on April 3 till the disposal of his appeal.

The case is based on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Purnesh Modi, based on a speech Gandhi had given in Kolar in 2019 in which he said, “I have a question. Why do all these thieves have Modi in their names whether it is Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi? We don’t know how many more such Modis will come out.”

The complainant held that Gandhi had defamed all people whose surname is Modi.