Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified from serving in the Lok Sabha since his March 23 conviction in a criminal defamation case...
Digital Desk: Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, has been disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha since his March 23 conviction in a criminal defamation case over his remark about the 'Modi surname'.
"Rahul Gandhi... is disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction," the national parliament said in a statement on Friday.
Gandhi was sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday in a criminal defamation action for his "Modi surname" remarks. The court gave him bail and postponed his sentence for 30 days so that he may appeal to a higher court. Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA, filed a complaint for his claimed comment, "How come all thieves have Modi as a common surname?"
The Wayanad MP was briefly present in Lok Sabha on Friday because the House was deferred for an hour shortly after it convened for the day.
The Congress has accused the administration and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being politically motivated in their decision.
The court of chief judicial magistrate HH Varma, which found Gandhi, 52, guilty under Indian Criminal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500, also gave him bail and delayed the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal to a higher court.
Rahul Gandhi can avoid instant disqualification as a member of parliament if the appellate court suspends both the conviction and the two-year prison sentence.
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