Ahmedabad – In a significant blow to Rahul Gandhi’s political aspirations, the Gujarat High Court has rejected his request to put his conviction in a defamation case on hold. As a result, Rahul Gandhi will remain disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha, as his conviction stands. The High Court deemed the conviction “just, proper, and legal.”
Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, will now take his case to the Supreme Court in hopes of finding reprieve. However, with his disqualification upheld, his return to parliament in the upcoming monsoon session commencing on July 20 appears unlikely. If the Supreme Court also dismisses his request, Rahul Gandhi’s prospects of contesting the next year’s election will be compromised.
The Gujarat High Court referenced Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Veer Savarkar at Cambridge as it delivered its order. The court stated, “It is needed to have purity in politics…A complaint has been filed against Rahul Gandhi by the grandson of Veer Savarkar in Pune Court after Gandhi used terms against Veer Savarkar at Cambridge.”
Despite Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay on his conviction, the court asserted that refusal to grant such a stay would not result in any injustice to the applicant. The judge emphasized that there were no reasonable grounds to suspend the conviction, highlighting that there were “as many as 10 cases pending” against Rahul Gandhi, and he was seeking a stay on “absolutely non-existent grounds.” The court further underscored that a stay on conviction is not a rule.
With his disqualification as an MP upheld, Rahul Gandhi’s political career faces significant challenges. He now turns to the Supreme Court in hopes of reversing the decision and reclaiming his eligibility. The outcome of this legal battle will have far-reaching implications on his future political endeavors.
