Rahul Gandhi disqualified from Parliament a day after conviction in 2019 criminal defamation case

Parliament on Friday disqualified Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi as Member of Parliament, a day after he was convicted in a 2019 criminal defamation case by a Surat court.

The court in Gujarat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in the case, filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, ''How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?'' The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held 52-year-old Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. Gandhi can escape immediate disqualification as a member of parliament if the appellate court suspends the conviction as well as the two-year jail term. Rahul Gandhi made the remark in April 2019, at a Lok Sabha election rally at Kolar in Karnataka.

Rahul Gandhi represents Wayanad Parliamentary constituency of Kerala. Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as Lok Sabha is effective from date of his conviction March 23, said Lok Sabha Secretariat.

"I’m stunned by this action and by its rapidity, within 24 hours of the court verdict and while an appeal was known to be in process. This is politics with the gloves off and it bodes ill for our democracy," tweeted Congress leader Shashi Tharoor about Rahul Gandhi's disqualification.

In accordance with section 8 of the Representation of People’s Act, Rahul Gandhi, at the end of his two year jail term will be banned from contesting elections for another six years. In total, Rahul Gandhi would not be able to hold or contest for the post of a Member of Parliament. 

Unless a stay on the conviction of the Surat Court is granted, Rahul Gandhi will not be able to contest elections for the next 8 years by virtue of this disqualification.