Rahul Gandhi gets back his former MP post; Lok Sabha secretariat revokes disqualification

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• Aug 7, 2023 | Poonam Nath

Rahul Gandhi's membership was restored just days after the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a criminal defamation case...

Digital Desk:  Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was reinstated on Monday, 137 days after he was disqualified.

Gandhi's membership was reinstated just days after the Supreme Court delayed his conviction in a criminal defamation action filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

On March 24, the secretariat issued an order disqualifying Gandhi. The earlier order was withdrawn by the new order on Monday. Gandhi is also now eligible for the retrieval of his house.

The delay in Gandhi's conviction allowed him to return to the Lok Sabha as permitted by law. He had to wait for an official order from the secretariat to re-enter the Lok Sabha, where he has been a member since 2004.

Gandhi's return to the Lok Sabha is of the utmost importance because the party wants him to take part in the no-confidence vote, which is scheduled to be launched by Congress's deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi. Gandhi last spoke in the House on February 7 during a debate on the President's speech.

The Lok Sabha secretariat received a scanned version of the Supreme Court order hours after it was issued, but it was required by the rules to wait for an authenticated copy of the order. Due to the weekend, no official action could be done to hasten Gandhi's reinstatement, as stated by Lok Sabha officials.

The procedure entailed producing a dossier on the subject that included the Supreme Court order as well as a notation on the probable next phases. Before an official filed a circular to revoke the March 24 directive, the file was checked by top authorities.

On Friday, when the Supreme Court stayed his conviction, Congress began putting pressure on the Lok Sabha secretariat to revoke the earlier order that disqualified him as of March 23.