Description
Rahul Gandhi has been convicted in court over 2019 comments against Prime Minister Modi. Rahul Gandhi, in a major setback for his Congress party, was sentenced today to two years in prison in a criminal libel case brought against him in 2019 for his comments 'why do all thieves have the surname Modi'. The 52-year-old leader was released on bail and the court suspended his sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal to a higher court.
According to the Representation of the People Law, a person sentenced to prison for two years or more will be disqualified "as of the date of said sentence" and will remain disqualified for another six years after serving the sentence.
This is what the Surat court said in sentencing the Congress leader:
* "Although the defendant was warned and advised by the Supreme Court, there is no record of any change in conduct."
* "The defendant is a deputy who speaks to the people as a deputy and affects a large part of society, so the effect of this crime is very broad in this case."
* "Giving him a reduced sentence would set a bad precedent and send a negative message to society."
The lawsuit against the Congress leader was brought by BJP MP and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
Rahul Gandhi had made the alleged comments about Modi's surname during a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
In his first reaction to the Surat court verdict, Gandhi quoted Mahatma Gandhi in a Hindi tweet about truth and non-violence.
"My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence is the path to it. -- Mahatma Gandhi," the Congress leader tweeted.
A two-year sentence also invites the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as an MP under the Representation of the People Act 1951, which provides that a member of Parliament or the Legislative Assembly found guilty of an offense and sentenced to imprisonment for at least two years will be disqualified from the date of conviction.
