The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case over his “Modi surname ” remark and said that the trial court judge was expected to give reasons for imposing maximum punishment for a non-cognizable offence. The Congress leader was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a trial court in Gujarat for his remark – “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname” – made during an election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar in 2019. After the conviction, he was disqualified as a member of Parliament from Kerala’s Wayanad under the Representation of People Act.
Soon after the court order, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met Speaker Om Birla and urged him to restore Gandhi’s membership. The Speaker told Chowdhury that he would take a call once his office received the order from the Supreme Court. ‘Truth always triumphs, if not today then tomorrow or the day after. My path is clear. There is clarity in my mind on what I should do and what my job is…,’ Rahul Gandhi said.