Rahul Gandhi in Surat

Faces immediate disqualification from Lok Sabha over 2-year sentence

Perhaps world’s only, perennially ill-advised Rahul Gandhi faces a real conundrum. His political career for now, seems to be in real strife after a court in Surat sentenced him for two years imprisonment over his loose and loud vilification of Modis in India while speaking at a public function on April 13, 2019.

After the verdict in the 2019 criminal defamation case on Thursday, the Congress prince faces immediate disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

He remains disqualified until his conviction is stayed by a higher court.

The Court, while pronouncing Rahul Gandhi guilty of criminal defamation for his remarks made on 13 April 2019 in Karnataka’s Kolar, granted him bail and suspended his sentence for 30 days to allow him time to file an appeal.

Unsurprisingly all the Congress stalwarts immediately jkumped to defend their prince.

Famous Supreme Court lawyer and the Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi wasted no time calling the court order “bad in law and unsustainable”.

“We will challenge it and are sure of securing a stay on the conviction,” he said.

As per the law, until he gets relief from a higher court, Rahul Gandhi will not be able to attend LS.

Also read: Is Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, a flop show?

That should be a worry for his party’s spokespersons, who, invariably are given the job to defend the indefensible.

Within minutes Rahul Gandhi, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, tweeted, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, and non-violence the means to attain Him.”

The BJP asked whether Gandhi’s religion means he will go around defaming people, defaming the country, its democracy and its martyrs.

Former minister and veteran BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad who asked, “Rahul Gandhi says he believes in truth and non violence. Does that mean he can defame people, hurl casteist slurs at them. If Rahul has the right to abuse people, those hurt by his abuses have a right to move court.

The law of the land is if an individual has been defamed by scurrilous, scandalous and defamatory comments, he has the right to redress and the sentence today came after prolonged hearings over four years.”

On a more serious note, the Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier alleged that “judges were being changed (to secure favourable orders).”

“We were expecting this order (of the Surat court) by the number of times Rahul Gandhi was asked to come,” Kharge said.

Appearing on Aaj Tak’s Halla Bol debate, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia in fact invited the courts’ attention saying the Congress chief’s statements amounted to “contempt of court”.

The Congress party has a real problem with Rahul Gandhi who needs to be advised better. The pool of talent the Congress has gets to spend all their energy on defending Rahul Gandhi’s comments which at times are way beyond the pale.

If Rahul Gandhi loses the chance to contest 2024 election post his disqualification, it will perhaps be not the outcome the BJP will have liked or wished for.

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