Supreme Court stays Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a criminal defamation case, revives MP status

New Delhi, Aug 4: Supreme Court on Friday stayed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a criminal defamation case linked to "Modi surname" remark, and revived his status as a Member of Parliament.

 

 

 

The three-judge bench observed that the utterances of Rahul Gandhi were not in “good taste” and said that a person in public life ought to have been more careful while making public speeches. The top court further said that Gandhi ought to have been more careful. However, questioned why the maximum sentence was given, which led to his disqualification.

 

 

The case pertains to 2019 criminal defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In his election speech in Koral, Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi had mocked an entire community by saying, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how come they all have Modi as a common surname? How come all thieves have Modi as a common surname?”

 

After the court trial, on the 23rd of March, 2023, a magisterial court in Gujarat convicted Rahul Gandhi in connection with his Modi surname remark. The court sentenced him to two-year imprisonment which subsequently lead to his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP.

 

According to the Representation of People’s Act (RPA), a conviction of two or more years immediatedly leads to disqualification from the Parliament or state assemblies.