Guwahati: Former president of the Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in 2019 criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark.
“Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a notification issued on Friday.
On Thursday, Gandhi was convicted in a criminal defamation case for his “Modi surname” remarks and sentenced to two years of imprisonment.
However, the court granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. A complaint was filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
The Wayanad MP attended Lok Sabha on Friday briefly as the House was adjourned for an hour soon after it convened for the day.
Significantly, the court of chief judicial magistrate HH Varma, which held Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.
As per section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, says that the moment a member of parliament is convicted of any offence and sentenced for at least two years, she or he attracts disqualification.
