India’s high court docket on Friday suspended the defamation conviction of Rahul Gandhi, a call that might pave the way in which for the senior opposition politician to return to parliament after his disqualification.
“No cause has been given by (the) trial choose for imposing the utmost sentence,” Justice B.R. Gavai stated in his ruling. “The order of conviction must be stayed pending last adjudication.”
Gandhi was sentenced to 2 years’ jail for feedback he made in 2019 {that a} court docket dominated had been insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and people sharing his final identify.
Anybody sentenced to a custodial time period of two years or extra is ineligible to take a seat in India’s parliament, and the preliminary verdict pressured Gandhi’s expulsion from the physique in March.
Learn extra: Rahul Gandhi appeals to India’s high court docket over conviction
His conviction stemmed from a comment made throughout the 2019 election marketing campaign when he requested why “all thieves have Modi as (their) frequent surname”, in a jibe on the prime minister.
In his 731-page submission to the Supreme Courtroom, Gandhi stated his speech was made “in the midst of democratic political exercise”.
His sentence was “gravely detrimental to democratic free speech”, added the doc, which his celebration supplied to AFP.
Modi’s authorities has been extensively accused of utilizing the defamation regulation to silence critics.