Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was on Monday, August 7, reinstated to the parliament, after the Supreme Court on August 4 stayed his conviction and sentence in the ‘Modi surname’ defamation case. Rahul Gandhi will be back in the Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad constituency of Kerala. The Congress leader’s reinstatement to the parliament comes at a time when the Opposition is attacking the BJP-led Union Government over the Manipur issue.
Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court in a criminal defamation case for a remark he made during the 2019 elections. He was sentenced to two-year imprisonment by the court, which led to his disqualification as a Member of Parliament. The Supreme Court, whils staying his conviction, observed that there was no specific reason given by the trial court judge for imposing the maximum punishment.
The Congress leader, in a speech he made at Kolar ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections said, "Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. How come all the thieves have 'Modi' as a common surname?" Former BJP MLA Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case stating that Rahul had defamed those with the Modi surname. Soon after he was convicted, he was disqualified as an MP.