Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament on Friday, a day after being convicted in the ‘Modi surname’ 2019 defamation case. A court in Gujarat’s Surat sentenced Congress leader Gandhi to two years in prison on Thursday in a criminal defamation case filed against him in 2019 over his “Modi surname” remarks.
However, the court soon granted him bail and a 30-day period to appeal the quantum of punishment. According to the information, Gandhi was charged with “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” He made the remarks while speaking at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi filed a complaint against his remarks.
What is the Law?
While deciding the Lily Thomas v. Union of India case (along with Lok Prahari v. Union of India), the Supreme Court ruled that any Member of Parliament (MP), Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), or Member of a Legislative Council (MLC) who is convicted of a crime and sentenced to at least two years in prison loses membership in the House with immediate effect.