An Indian court refused to suspend Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a defamation case, a setback for the opposition leader who’s now at risk of remaining out of parliament and being unable to contest national elections due in first half of 2024.
The Gujarat High Court said in its order that there was no reasonable ground to stay conviction.
The ruling is a setback for Gandhi who was sentenced to a two-year jail-term for his alleged derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name during an election rally in 2019. A lower court suspended Gandhi’s prison term until his appeal is decided.
According to Indian law, Gandhi would remain ineligible to contest elections and barred from parliament as long as his conviction remains in force and he is likely to appeal Friday’s verdict.
