India’s Supreme Court has suspended the defamation conviction of Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party. In a case where he was accused of mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname. The defamation case, which resulted from a speech made by Rahul Gandhi in March. This led to his removal from parliament and a two-year prison sentence, which was later put on hold.
During the speech, Gandhi referred to three individuals with the surname Modi. Including a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, a cricket executive banned from the Indian Premier League (IPL), and the prime minister. However, the remarks were deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others with the same surname. Belonging to the lower rungs of India’s caste hierarchy.
The lower courts and the high court in Gujarat, Modi’s home state and a stronghold of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, had previously rejected Gandhi’s appeals to suspend the conviction. Leading him to approach the Supreme Court.
Calls for Gandhi’s Reinstatement in Parliament
Justice B R Gavai, part of a three-judge bench at the Supreme Court, stated that the lower court had not provided sufficient reasons for imposing the maximum sentence of two years. It resulted in Gandhi’s disqualification from parliament. While acknowledging that Gandhi’s comments were not in good taste. And that he should have been more careful with his public speeches. Justice Gavai highlighted that the conviction not only penalised Gandhi but also affected the voters who had elected him as their representative.
Gandhi’s legal submission to the Supreme Court spanned 731 pages. Emphasised that his speech was made in the context of democratic political activity and that the sentence infringed upon democratic free speech. The Supreme Court’s suspension of the defamation conviction prompted celebrations at the Congress party headquarters in New Delhi.