As a sessions court in Surat on Thursday commenced the hearing on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea for a stay on his conviction in the Modi-surname defamation case, Rahul Gandhi's lawyer senior advocate RS Cheema said Rahul Gandhi was elected from Wayanad by a record margin of votes and his disqualification as a result of the conviction will lead to irreparable loss and irreversible injury. 

Citing that only an aggrieved person can file a complaint, Cheema appearing for Rahul Gandhi said, "My speech isn't defamatory unless drawn out of context, looked under a magnifying glass to make it defamatory. basically, litigation was inflicted upon me for daring to be vociferously critical of our PM. The trial was harsh and unfair to me."