INDIA: As a result of his conviction in the 2019 defamation case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was removed from his seat in the Lok Sabha. Earlier, the Gujarat court sentenced him to two years in jail.
However, he was granted bail, and his sentence was put on hold for 30 days, allowing him to appeal the decision. Now, following that, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has disqualified Rahul Gandhi and declared his constituency vacant.
Further, the Wayanad MP has to vacate his government bungalow in central Delhi, as the Election Commission can now announce a special election for the vacated seat.
Meanwhile, Mahesh Jethmalani in his statement says, “He is disqualified by operation of law, but the Speaker must be informed of the decision. Yet as of right now, he is no longer eligible.”
Apart from this, former Union law minister Kapil Sibal, a senior advocate, said that Rahul stands automatically disqualified as an MP with his two-year jail sentence.
He quoted, “Even a sentence suspension by the court is insufficient. Conviction must be either suspended or stayed. Only if the conviction is reversed Rahul Gandhi can stay in parliament as a member.”
Rahul Gandhi made a statement that “he is fighting for the people of the country and is ready to pay any price for that.”
Now, the biggest challenge Gandhi has to face is that if he isn’t proven innocent in the higher court, he also won’t be allowed to contest elections for the next eight years.
As per the latest updates, the Congress leader plans to challenge the verdict in a higher court. Moreover, if the plea isn’t accepted in the high court, the party will knock on the doors of the Supreme Court.
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