The appeal that Rahul Gandhi filed against his conviction for defamation was denied.
The opposition leader’s request for a stay of execution was denied by an Indian court, leaving his political future unknown.
AHMEDABAD: A court in India’s western state of Gujarat denied Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a stay of conviction in a defamation case on Thursday, raising doubts over whether he would be allowed to run in an election next year.
Gandhi was convicted last month in a case initiated by a state member from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for remarks he made that were deemed offensive to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other persons with the surname Modi.
“The Surat district court has not granted a stay of execution on Rahul Gandhi’s conviction,” said Naishadh Desai, a local Congress politician and lawyer, outside the courtroom.
“We will appeal the decision in Gujarat High Court tomorrow.” “We have complete faith in the judiciary to uphold justice and save democracy,” he declared.
While Thursday’s decision was a defeat for Gandhi, his prison term was delayed until he exhausted all legal options.
Gandhi, 52, was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in March for statements he made during an election campaign rally in 2019. In India, politicians condemned to two years or more in prison are forbidden from standing for office.
Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress politician and Supreme Court lawyer, said the party would pursue every legal avenue to reverse Gandhi’s sentence.
During a political event in 2019, Gandhi mentioned two fugitive businessmen with the surname Modi and said, “How come all thieves have the surname Modi?”
Purnesh Modi, a BJP politician in Gujarat’s state assembly, filed the defamation suit against Gandhi.
The BJP has consistently accused the Gandhi family of corruption as part of its attempt to neutralise the electoral danger posed by the Congress and tarnish the reputation of a dynasty that controlled Indian politics for decades after independence in 1947.
