Indian court rejects Rahul Gandhi's plea to suspend defamation conviction

Kathmandu: A high court in western India rejected an appeal by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday to suspend his conviction in a defamation case, quashing for now his hope of returning to parliament and contesting national elections due next year.

Justice Hemant Prachchhak of the Gujarat High Court said in his order that a stay of conviction is not a rule but an exemption to be resorted to in rare cases.

'The refusal of stay of conviction would not in any way result in injustice to the applicant,' the judge said, 'There is no reasonable ground to stay the conviction of the applicant in view of the facts and circumstances of the case.'

Gandhi can now take his appeal to a larger bench of the Gujarat High Court and then to the Supreme Court, his last option.

Gandhi was convicted in March in a case brought by a Gujarat state lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya indin dJanata march conParty (BJP), Purnesh Modi, after comments he made in 2019 were deemed to be insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other people surnamed Modi.

'How come all thieves have the name Modi?' Gandhi had asked in an election campaign speech, referring to two fugitive businessmen, both surnamed Modi. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, but the jail term was put on hold and he was given bail.

Gandhi also lost his parliamentary seat following the conviction since lawmakers sentenced to jail terms of two years  or more are automatically disqualified.