The District and Sessions Court in Surat city of Gujarat on Monday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he filed an appeal against his conviction in a criminal defamation case, a lawyer said. A magistrate’s court had last month sentenced Rahul to two years in jail over his 2019 “Modi surname” remark.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge R P Mogera said it will hear his plea for suspension of conviction on April 13 after issuing a notice to complainant Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister. The court asked Purnesh to file his reply by April 10.