Rahul Gandhi disqualified from Lok Sabha

On March 24th, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case by a Surat court.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification stating that his disqualification would be effective from March 23, the date of his conviction.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted on Thursday by a Surat Court in Gujarat in a 2019 defamation case for his remark, "all thieves have Modi surname".

The 52-year-old politician, who belongs to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, referred to thieves with the surname Modi during a speech in 2019.

However, the court granted him bail immediately and suspended the sentence for a month.

Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) held a meeting at Mallikarjun Kharge's office, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, on the day following Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case.

They then proceeded to the Rashtrapati Bhavan carrying posters that read "democracy is in danger". The Vijay Chowk area was placed under heightened security measures due to the protest.

On Friday, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram stated that the essence of democracy is a strong political discourse, and that the law should not be used to silence the voices of opposition leaders. This comes in response to the recent sentencing of Rahul Gandhi by a Surat court in a criminal defamation case from 2019, in which he made remarks about the "Modi surname".

Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail, but was granted bail and a 30-day suspension of the sentence to allow for an appeal in a higher court.

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