A court in India on Wednesday rejected a petition filed by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to stay the enforcement of his conviction for defamation, under which he was sentenced to two years in jail and expelled from Parliament.
A court in Gujarat, in northwest India, has ruled out suspending the sentence, which means that Gandhi, leader of the Congress Party, will not be able to regain his seat while the appeal process is underway, reports the NDTV channel. For now, he remains on probation, pending the conclusion of the appeal process.
Indira Gandhi’s grandson was convicted in March for a speech delivered in 2019 against the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Specifically, he stated that »all thieves have the surname Modi», which was perceived as a direct attack against the head of government.
The Indian legislation prevents all those sentenced to at least two years of imprisonment from running for elections for a period of six years, which has slowed down the alleged political rise of Gandhi, who aspired to increase the chances of his party against Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. For the opposition, this is a politically motivated conviction.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
