Rahul Gandhi back as MP, can contest polls as Supreme Court pauses conviction
The Supreme Court has paused Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case for his remarks on the 'Modi' surname. He was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison by a Surat court on March 23. By Aneesha Mathur, Srishti Ojha: In massive relief for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Supreme Court today paused his conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his 'Modi' surname remarks. With this, Rahul Gandhi's status as a Member of Parliament - he was disqualified following his conviction - stands restored. He can also contest elections. A Surat court had, on March 23, convicted Rahul Gandhi and sentenced him for two years. A day later, he was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP; he represented the Wayanad seat in Kerala. The Supreme Court today said that there was no reason given by the Surat court for imposing the maximum sentence on Rahul Gandhi. "No reason has been given by the trial judge for imposing maximum sentence, the order of conviction needs to be s...