Justice Gita Gopi, after a brief hearing, recused herself and directed the court registry to remand the matter back to the chief justice, who will now assign the case to a different bench.
The Congress leader's petition challenges the Surat sessions court's April 20 order which dismissed his application seeking a stay on his conviction for asking, "Why do all of them all of these thieves have Modi Modi Modi in their names?"
A sessions court in Surat had on April 20 dismissed his appeal seeking to suspend his conviction and the two years jail term, imposed by a Magistrate Court.