Surat Court denies Rahul Gandhi's plea to suspend defamation conviction

Gujarat: Surat court has rejected the petition of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to suspend his conviction in a defamation case. The case pertains to his "Modi surname" remark against BJP MLA Purnesh Modi during a 2019 election rally in Karnataka. The Congress leader had requested that his conviction be postponed while he appealed against the court's decision to sentence him to two years in prison. He argued that the trial court had treated him harshly due to his status as a Member of Parliament. However, the court rejected his plea and upheld the previous verdict. This means that Rahul Gandhi cannot be reinstated as a Member of Parliament until his appeal is heard and his conviction is either overturned or upheld. Following the previous court's decision, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP the next day. This latest ruling by the Gujarat court has further put his political career in jeopardy as he will not be able to contest elections or hold any public office until his appeal is heard and decided upon.