New Delhi ∙ The big question before the Congress is how soon Rahul Gandhi will be able to recover from the defamation case that caused him to lose his Lok Sabha membership. Continuation of stay of execution of sentence of 2 years imprisonment may be comforted; It remains to be seen whether the verdict of guilty can be stayed before the by-elections are announced in Wayanad or before the next Lok Sabha elections.
Kerala High Court freezes sentence in attempted murder case, helps Muhammad Faisal to regain MP post from Lakshadweep. Although the High Court ruled in favor of Faisal, the Assembly Secretariat waited until Faisal approached the Supreme Court to remove the bar from entering the Lok Sabha.
The main reasons taken into account by the High Court in Faisal’s case were the cost of conducting by-elections and the fact that the new MP would have a tenure of less than 15 months. However, the Supreme Court said that this is not a sufficient reason to freeze the verdict. The court also raised the question whether being a representative of the people is a fundamental right. The Supreme Court is considering this case again on 24th of this month.
It is clear from yesterday’s judgment that the Surat Sessions Court considered the High Court judgment in Faisal’s case and the various judgments referred to by the High Court. Earlier there was criticism that Rahul’s lawyers had made a mistake in handling the case in the trial court. In yesterday’s verdict, the court has clarified that if there was a mistake in matters including the jurisdiction of the court, including the summons, it was not questioned earlier.
Move to gain backlash
New Delhi ∙ The Congress will come forward to politically favor Rahul Gandhi after the backlash from the court in the defamation case. The party has decided to intensify the campaign that the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hunting Rahul unfairly. The party is counting on this to improve Rahul’s image in national politics as the country heads towards the Lok Sabha elections.
Party sources said that after the Karnataka assembly elections, a padayatra led by Rahul from Arunachal to Gujarat as the second part of the Bharat Jodo is under consideration. The party will start preparations for this soon.
The Congress had hoped that the Surat Additional Sessions Court would reject Rahul’s appeal. Party sources said that the verdict is not unexpected and will go all the way to the Supreme Court to ensure justice for Rahul.
Rahul has told the party leadership that there is no need to be disappointed if the verdict is not favorable and that he is ready to go to jail. The Congress is preparing to approach the Gujarat High Court in the coming days questioning the Sessions Court’s action.
English Summary: Rahul Gandhi disqualification: Congress plans to scale up protest
