New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary membership was restored today by the Supreme Court in a criminal defamation case against him over the ‘Modi surname’ remark. The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification announcing that his disqualification has been revoked and his membership restored. Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha member on March 23 after a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail.
Love won against hatred: Congress
Shortly after Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership was reinstated, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and other party leaders exchanged sweets to celebrate the development.
The decision to reinstate Shri @RahulGandhi as an MP is a welcome step.
It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad.
Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than… pic.twitter.com/kikcZqfFvn
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 7, 2023
Huge celebrations also took place outside the residence of Sonia Gandhi, where party workers were seen dancing. “Love won against hatred,” Congress posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
नफरत के खिलाफ मोहब्बत की जीत
pic.twitter.com/HWKn3pG53l
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 7, 2023
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “Speaker took the decision today. We followed the legal process, and immediately after receiving the Supreme Court’s order, we restored it.”
The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the criminal defamation case over the ‘Modi surname’ remark. The apex court issued notices to the Gujarat government and the complainant in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat High Court order.
The Gujarat High Court, had, in its order earlier, declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which Rahul was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the ‘Modi surname’ remark. After his conviction in the case, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24.