Indian opposition leader Gandhi restored to parliament

Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was today reinstated to the parliament following a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

Mr Gandhi will be back in the Lok Sabha, representing his constituency Wayanad, at a time when the parliament has seen repeated disruptions over the Opposition bloc INDIA's demand for a dedicated discussion on violence in Manipur prefaced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the same.
INDIA alliance leaders were seen celebrating the occasion with sweets.

The Supreme Court on Friday, while ordering a stay on Rahul Gandhi's conviction, said that while his remarks were not in good taste, his disqualification from parliament would affect his constituents.

The trial judge had awarded the maximum sentence of two years in the case, the top court had observed, pointing out that it would not have attracted disqualification as an MP if the sentence was a day lesser. "The ramifications of disqualification not just affects the rights of the individual but also the electorate," the judges said.

Mr Gandhi was disqualified in May after he received a two-year jail term in a defamation case following his comments regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname. At a rally in Karnataka's Kolar ahead of the 2019 general election, in a dig at PM Modi, Mr Gandhi had said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?"

After a reprieve from the top court, Mr Gandhi, who has consistently refused to apologise, tweeted, "Come what may, my duty remains the same. Protect the idea of India".

Read More