New Delhi: The Jharkhand high court on Tuesday, July 5, exempted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from an in-person appearance before a Ranchi court in connection with the ‘Modi surname’ case.Justice S. K. Dwivedi also ordered authorities concerned that no coercive steps be taken against Gandhi, PTI reported.Gandhi had moved the high court challenging an order by the Ranchi MP-MLA court that directed him to make a personal appearance before it in the defamation case.The petitioner in the case, Pradeep Modi, had filed a defamation case against Gandhi for his comment “why all thieves share the Modi surname”, made during an election rally in April 2019. He had sought Rs 20 crore in damages from Gandhi.Gandhi had earlier moved the Jharkhand high court to quash the criminal proceedings, but his petition was not entertained and was dismissed on July 5, 2022.The particular case is in addition to the ongoing trial in the defamation case filed at a Surat court, which resulted in the conviction of the Congress leader and his subsequent disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP. Challenging the Surat court verdict, Gandhi had moved Gujarat high court, which is yet to hear the matter. He was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP on March 24.