Will Rahul Gandhi return to Parliament today? Suspense over Speaker's nod
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who got relief from the Supreme Court after it put on hold his conviction in a 2019 defamation case, is likely to return to Parliament today. The necessary paperwork regarding his reinstatement as MP is ready and only a sign from the Lok Sabha Speaker is required.
As the Supreme Court paused Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case last week, all eyes will be on the Lok Sabha secretariat that will formally begin the process to restore the Congress leader's MP status, which will pave his return to Parliament.
On August 4, the Supreme Court stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remarks. He was sentenced to two years in jail, following which his parliamentary membership was automatically revoked.
The court further noted that the trial judge of a Surat court had not provided sufficient reasons for imposing the maximum sentence of two years.
Rahul Gandhi had served as an MP from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency from 2019 before being disqualified in March this year after his conviction.
ONLY SPEAKER'S SIGN REQUIRED
The process of reinstating Rahul Gandhi's status as an MP is currently underway. The necessary paperwork is ready, awaiting only a signature from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
According to sources, this approval is expected to be today. If there is any delay, the Congress is prepared to take the matter to court.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday said he had sent all documents pertaining to the revocation of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha to the Speaker and his membership should be restored immediately.
He said Speaker Om Birla should restore his membership with the same pace as he was disqualified after a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case pertaining to the 'Modi surname' remarks.
The Supreme Court's decision has been hailed as a "victory for truth" by Congress leaders, who have been eagerly awaiting Rahul Gandhi's reinstatement. They are demanding that the process for restoring Rahul Gandhi's MP status should be expedited and not delayed any further.
Rahul Gandhi, who has consistently refused to apologise for his comments, expressed his commitment to protecting the "idea of India", regardless of the circumstances.
However, his return to Parliament is not without controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has warned that Gandhi was on "thin ice" due to the numerous cases pending against him.
In some circumstances, the restoration of a leader's parliamentary membership can sometimes be a lengthy process. For instance, the reinstatement of Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal took over a month, despite a Kerala High Court order freezing his sentence earlier this year.
Mohammad Faizal was disqualified in January this year after he was convicted in a criminal case for 10 years. However, in March, he had moved the Kerala High Court and obtained a suspension of his conviction and sentence.
WHAT WAS THE DEFAMATION CASE AGAINST RAHUL GANDHI?
Former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case in 2019 against Rahul Gandhi over his "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.
A Surat court had, on March 23 this year, convicted Rahul Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in prison in the case. The next day, he was disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha.
The Congress leader then challenged that order in a sessions court along with a request to pause his conviction. While the sessions court granted him bail on April 20, and agreed to hear his challenge, it refused to stay the conviction.
Rahul Gandhi had filed a plea in the Supreme Court on July 15, contesting the Gujarat High Court's order upholding the session court's refusal to suspend his conviction.