A Surat sessions court on Monday suspended Rahul Gandhi‘s two-year sentence in a criminal defamation case by a lower court and granted him bail till April 13 when his appeal will be heard.

The court also admitted the Congress leader’s other plea challenging his conviction and seeking an interim stay on it, but will hear the matter on May 3.

Gandhi’s presence for the hearing will not be necessary.

Gandhi was accompanied to the Surat court by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior party leaders including chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, as the party used the opportunity to demonstrate its support to the convicted leader.

As a matter of fact, Gandhi’s conviction has in more ways than one brought together the fractured opposition parties, including AAP and TMC, that otherwise have had acrimonious relation with Congress in not-too-distant past.

Rahul Gandhi later took to Twitter and wrote in Hindi that his struggle is against “Mitrakaal” (time of the cronies) and for saving democracy. “In this struggle, truth is my weapon and truth is my shelter,” he added.

A magisterial court in Surat had on March 23 convicted Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for linking up the surname of economic offenders and fugitives Lalit Modi and Neeraj Modi with that of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an election speech in Karnataka where he had allegedly remarked, “How come all thieves have Modi surname in common?”The court awarded Gandhi two years of jail term that resulted in his prompt disqualification as Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala and barring him from contesting elections for eight years.

Meanwhile, leaders of Gujarat Congress alleged that party workers from various parts of the state desirous of reaching Surat to express their solidarity with Gandhi were detained by the state police.

The ruling dispensation termed Gandhi’s visit to the Surat court “drama”.

“Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama,” Union law and justice minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted. “What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court. All courts in the country are immune from such tactics.”

He also accused Congress of going out of its way for Gandhi. “When former PM PV Narasimha Rao was convicted Congress was quiet. P Chidambaram and DK Shivakumar didn’t get support against charges for which they are out on bail. Only for Rahul Gandhi, Congress is doing drama as they consider one family and one person above India and its laws,” Rijiju alleged.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to hit back at Rijiju, saying, “The man who threatens the judiciary, judges and ex-judges daily and also distorts history daily talking. Hypocrisy ki koi seema nahin hai Modi Kaal mein (There is no limit to hypocracy in Modi’s rule).”