2023-08-04 12:38:34
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Supreme Court has suspended the sentence of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for mocking the prime minister’s last name. His party said that he will seek the reinstatement of his seat in Parliament.
A vehement critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, according to polls, his main contender in the 2024 election, Gandhi was convicted by a court in March and expelled from Parliament.
The Supreme Court has left the sentence in abeyance while it further studies Gandhi’s appeal.
Gandhi’s disqualification as a lawmaker is also on hold, according to legal news portal Live Law. The leader of the Congress party, KC Venugopal, said that the speaker of Parliament will be asked to restore his seat.
Gandhi will be able to contest the general election next year unless the Supreme Court previously issues an adverse final ruling.
The court commented that Gandhi’s remarks were not in “good taste” and that a person in public life should be more careful when expressing himself.
In an election speech in 2019, Gandhi wondered: “Why do all thieves carry the last name Modi?” He then named three known Modi, who are not related: a fugitive diamond tycoon, a banned cricket executive from the Indian Premier League and the prime minister.
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