Ranchi, Dec 7 (IANS): The petition filed by Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi seeking personal exemption from court appearances in the defamation case over his past remarks on the 'Modi surname' will be heard on Saturday.

Summons for the Congress MP's personal appearance were issued by Ranchi's MP/MLA Special Court, following which the petition was filed by his lawyers.

The case pertains to a comment made by the senior Congress leader during an election rally in April 2019, where Rahul Gandhi allegedly remarked, "Why do all thieves share the Modi surname?"

The remark had created a furore and Pradeep Modi, a Ranchi resident, subsequently filed a defamation case, along with a separate civil suit demanding Rs 20 crore in damages.

To seek exemption from appearing in court, Rahul Gandhi's legal team had filed a petition under Section 205 of the CrPC on August 14, following which summons were issued for his appearance.

In a prior development, the Jharkhand High Court had provided interim relief to the Lok Sabha LoP in August, exempting him from personal appearances in the case.

Justice S.K. Dwivedi ruled in Rahul Gandhi's favour while hearing the petition challenging the MP/MLA Special Court's earlier order, which had dismissed his plea for exemption from court appearances.

The High Court, after hearing arguments from both sides, had directed that no coercive steps be taken against Gandhi and sought a response from the complainant, Pradeep Modi. Advocates Piyush, Chitresh, and Dipankar Roy represented Gandhi during the proceedings.

The controversy stems from the remarks made during the 2019 election campaign, which sparked a series of legal challenges against the Congress MP, including this defamation case filed in Ranchi.