National Desk, 4th August: The Supreme Court on Friday granted a stay on the conviction of Congress leader and former Member of Parliament (MP), Rahul Gandhi, in a criminal defamation case related to his “why all thieves have Modi surname” remark. With this stay, Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as an MP is also suspended.
The apex court observed that the trial judge had awarded the maximum sentence of two years in the case, which would have led to his disqualification as an MP if the sentence was one day shorter.
In April, Rahul Gandhi had asserted before a sessions court in Surat that the conviction by a magistrate’s court in the 2019 defamation case was erroneous and unjust. He claimed that the trial court treated him harshly, being “overwhelmingly influenced” by his status as an MP.
The Supreme Court acknowledged that the remarks made by Rahul Gandhi were not in good taste and suggested he should have been more cautious with his speeches. It also emphasized that disqualification not only affects the individual’s rights but also impacts the electorate.
The stay on conviction is seen as the last opportunity for Rahul Gandhi to secure acquittal and participate in parliamentary sessions and future elections. His lawyer argued that the High Court had reserved its judgment for 66 days, and due to the conviction, Gandhi had already missed two Parliament sessions.
A Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar heard Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay on his conviction. The Gujarat High Court had previously declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi, contended that despite the completion of the trial, there was no concrete evidence against Gandhi. He emphasized that the term “Modi” applied to diverse and unrelated communities, castes, and groups, making them non-homogenous and non-identifiable as a class.
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