Rahul Gandhi disqualified: A day after being convicted in the 'Modi surname' 2019 defamation case, Rahul Gandhi on Friday was disqualified as Member of Parliament. On Thursday, a court in Gujarat's Surat sentenced Congress leader Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks.
However, soon after the court granted him bail and a time period of 30 days to appeal against the quantum of punishment. According to the information, the case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” He stated this while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the complaint against his remarks was lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
What is the Law
In its judgment dated July 10, 2013, the Supreme Court, while disposing the Lily Thomas v. Union of India case (along with Lok Prahari v. Union of India), ruled that any Member of Parliament (MP), Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Member of a Legislative Council (MLC) who is convicted of a crime and given a minimum of two years' imprisonment, loses membership of the House with immediate effect.
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