India Court to Pass Order in Rahul Gandhi Defamation Appeal on April 20

(Bloomberg) -- A court finished hearing arguments in Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s appeal to suspend his defamation conviction and will pass an order on April 20, his lawyer said.

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Gandhi, a scion of India’s Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, wanted to secure a stay of his conviction from the court to be reinstated as a member of parliament. His defamation conviction carries a two-year prison term and if not lifted could see him barred from next year’s national elections.

Arguments in the case concluded on Thursday after a daylong hearing, said Kirit Panwala, a lawyer for the Congress party leader.

A court in Surat in the western state of Gujarat had found Gandhi guilty in a criminal defamation case on March 23 for allegedly making derogatory remarks in 2019 about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname. The court sentenced him to two years of prison.

Gandhi was swiftly disqualified from parliament shortly after in line with Indian law that bars anyone sentenced to two or more years in prison from holding parliament membership.

The conviction could also hurt the 52-year-old politician in the general elections, due by the summer of 2024 since the law also bars anyone serving a prison term of two or more years from contesting elections for six years after they serve their sentence.

Gandhi had secured a slight breather earlier this month after the court suspended his jail term until his appeal was finally decided. While this protected Gandhi from being imprisoned, he requires a suspension or overturning of his conviction to be reinstated as a member of parliament.

Gandhi has positioned himself as a challenger to Modi and his ruling Bhartiya Janata Party — even though his Congress party has been routed in two consecutive national ballots.

However, Gandhi’s conviction also angered several opposition parties, indicating that the Congress leader could use the setback to try and gain a political edge and forge alliances. The BJP has dismissed the allegations that Gandhi’s conviction was politically motivated, saying the law is equal for everyone.

To revive his Congress party, Gandhi recently completed a 2,170-mile trek from India’s southernmost tip to the icy north of Kashmir.

--With assistance from Abhijit Roy Chowdhury.

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