New Delhi: Congress’s Rahul Gandhi has moved Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat high court’s dismissal of his plea for a stay on his conviction in a 2019 defamation case.The news agency PTI has reported that Gandhi filed the petition today, July 15, through advocate-on-record Prasanna S.Gandhi’s conviction in the case meant that he was disqualified as a member of parliament – he represented the Wayanad constituency in the Lok Sabha – under provisions of the Representation of the People Act.The Gujarat high court had, on July 7, refused to stay the conviction of and two-year sentence given to Gandhi. A stay would have meant Gandhi’s reinstatement to parliament ahead of the Monsoon Session.Justice Hemant Prachchhak said, “At least 10 criminal cases [are] pending against him. Even after the present case, some more cases filed against him. One such is filed by grandson of Veer Savarkar. In anyway, conviction would not result in any injustice. The conviction is just and proper. There is no need to interfere with the said order.”The judge, PTI has reported, maintained it was not an “individual-centric defamation case”, but something which affected a “large section of the society”.The caseOn March 23, a Surat court had convicted Gandhi in a criminal defamation case based on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Purnesh Modi, and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment.Multiple cases had been filed by BJP leaders against a 2019 pre-election campaign speech by Gandhi at Kolar in Karnataka. In it, Gandhi had 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.”Purnesh Modi had alleged this was defamatory to people with the ‘Modi’ last name.On April 3, Gandhi moved a sessions court seeking a stay on his conviction. This was rejected on April 20.The Surat Sessions Court on April 3 suspended Gandhi’s two-year sentence. He was also granted bail.On May 2, while hearing Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction, the high court had declined to grant any relief.