In a significant development, the parliamentary membership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been reinstated. The Lok Sabha Secretariat also issued an announcement confirming this decision.
This follows the recent Supreme Court verdict on Friday (August 04), where Rahul Gandhi's two-year sentence and conviction in the "Modi surname defamation" case were overturned.
With this ruling, the path for his return to Parliament was cleared. Rahul Gandhi had won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala.
In the "Modi surname defamation" case, Rahul Gandhi had received a two-year sentence from a lower court on March 23. However, the Supreme Court stayed his sentence 134 days later.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed the decision to reinstate Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary membership. He stated that this step brings relief to the people of India, especially the Wayanad residents.
Kharge emphasized that instead of using the remaining time of the BJP and Modi government's tenure to target opposition leaders and tarnish democracy, they should focus on genuine governance and uphold the rule of law.
On April 13, 2019, Rahul Gandhi made a statement at an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, questioning why all thieves have the surname Modi, referring to Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In response to this statement, BJP legislator and former minister Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
Purnesh Modi alleged that Rahul Gandhi had defamed the entire Modi community by suggesting that the name "Modi" was associated with thieves.
