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BIG STORY AUGUST 11, 2023 | The Indian Eye 5

not just one individual’s right being MP”, Azad said.
affected, but an entire electorate of a Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Ba-
Constituency. ghel demanded that Rahul Gandhi’s
The complainant in Rahul Gand- disqualification be revoked.
hi’s criminal defamation case in which “SC’s decision is democracy’s
he was convicted and sentenced to win and all the conspiracies against
two years in jail by the Surat court Rahul Gandhi to disqualify him from
over the ‘Modi surname’ remark, told Lok Sabha have failed. They wanted
the Supreme Court that the attitude to keep him away from the Parlia-
of the Congress leader reveals arro- ment because he raises questions...
gant entitlement and he doesn’t de- We welcome SC’s decision and his
serve any relief in form of stay on his disqualification must be revoked,”
conviction. CM Baghel said.
The High Court on July 7 af- But after the Supreme Court
firmed the decision of a Gujarat stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in
Sessions court, which had refused to the ‘Modi surname’ defamation case,
put on hold a magisterial court order BJP National Information and Tech-
on March 23 convicting Gandhi and nology Department in-charge Amit
handing out the maximum punish- Malviya took a swipe at the Congress
ment provided for criminal defama- leader and said “Bakre ki amma kab
tion under the Indian Penal Code. tak khair manayegi.”
Rejecting Gandhi’s plea, the The Hindi metaphor translates
High Court has said that he has been to the apocalypse cannot be avoided.
seeking a stay on his conviction on What is meant to be, will be. Malviya
“absolutely non-existent grounds” said, “Rahul Gandhi may have sur-
and a stay on conviction is not a rule vived this one but for how long?”
but an exception. Malviya reminded Rahul Gandhi
Soon after the Supreme Court saying that on an earlier occasion, the
stayed the conviction, Congress Supreme Court had pulled him up for
workers in Kalpetta town of Wayanad wrongly attributing an observation to
district in Kerala carried out a cele- Congress supporters celebrate after the Supreme Court stayed the conviction of party leader the top court.
bratory march and distributed sweets “On an earlier occasion, no less
earlier today. Congress workers in Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 criminal defamation case in Kolkata on Friday (ANI) than the Supreme Court had pulled
Bengaluru also celebrated by distrib- him up for attributing, wrongly to them,
uting sweets following the SC verdict. the Supreme Court. It is not only the I thank people for their support,” he an observation, they had not made.”
Responding to the SC verdict, victory of Rahul Gandhi but a victory said at a press conference in the na- The BJP IT cell head also re-
Rajasthan Chief Minister and Con- of democracy and the Constitution... tional capital. minded Rahul Gandhi that there are
gress leader Ashok Gehlot said that It’s a victory of people. Rahul Gand- Welcoming the Supreme Court’s several other criminal defamation
everything is going in the right direc- hi was disqualified within 24 hours. verdict, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that cases pending including that of dis-
tion adding that Congress will return Let’s see in how many hours is he re- the Apex Court valiantly upheld the respecting Savarkar and the National
to power in Rajasthan instated,” Kharge said at a press con- sentiments and mandate of the peo- Herald scam as well.
Truth has won today, said Con- ference in the national capital. ple of Wayanad. “Besides, there are several other
gress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Democratic Progressive Azad criminal defamation cases pending
after Supreme Court stayed Rahul thanked the people for their support Party Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad against Rahul Gandhi, including the
Gandhi’s conviction in a 2019 defa- and said that it may take time but the called it a “good thing.” high-profile case of mudslinging the
mation case adding that he has spo- “truth always triumphs”. “There was no effect of his dis- venerable Veer Savarkar, filed by
ken to the Speaker in Parliament for “Truth always triumphs, if not to- qualification. He was doing the same the freedom fighter’s family. Rahul
reinstating Rahul’s membership at day then tomorrow or the day after. job which he was doing earlier as an Gandhi is also an accused, along with
the earliest. his mother Sonia Gandhi, in the Na-
“We were overjoyed when the tional Herald scam, and currently out
SC pronounced its decision. Rahul on bail,” Malviya said in the tweet.
Gandhi’s absence from the Parlia- Reminding Rahul Gandhi that
ment was felt. Through Point of In- he is walking on “thin ice” and that
formation, I told the Speaker in the many leaders like Lalu Prasad and J
Parliament about the SC’s decision Jayalalitha had faced disqualification,
and said that his membership should Malviya said, “Conviction in any of
be reinstated at the earliest...Truth these can lead to his disqualification,
won today,” MP Chowdhury said. again. Let’s not forget that veteran
Congress president Mallikarjun leaders like Lalu Prasad, and J Jay-
Kharge on Friday hailed the Supreme alalitha among others have faced dis-
Court’s stay on Rahul Gandhi’s con- qualification, following convictions.
viction in a 2019 defamation case and Rahul Gandhi is on thin ice here. But
called it a victory of democracy and for now, the Parliament can do with
the Constitution, adding that it will be some levity.”
seen how long will it take to reinstate As the country moves towards the
him after the Supreme Court relief. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi meets RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in New Delhi on Friday. next general elections, the bitterness
“Satyameva Jayate....we all are Bihar Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav is also seen (ANI) between the BJP and Congress may
happy and welcome the judgement of continue and even become intense.

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