New Delhi
\nIndian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has lodged an appeal against his conviction for defamation, hoping to overturn a judgment that resulted in his expulsion from parliament a year before general election is due.
\nA court in Gujarat state\u2019s Surat city on Monday accepted his petition and posted it for hearing on April 13.
\nGandhi had appealed his two-year jail sentence in the defamation case brought against him by a legislator from Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
\nThe 52-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family and leader of the Congress party was found guilty of defamation by the Surat court over comments he made in a speech in 2019.
\nIn the speech, the Congress leader had referred to two fugitive businessmen, both surnamed Modi and asked: \u201cHow come all thieves have the name Modi?\u201d
\n\u201cThe 2019 speech was not aimed at defaming millions of people having the surname Modi,\u201d Gandhi\u2019s lawyer Kirit Panwala said, adding that their appeal would also highlight \u201cprocedural lapses\u201d in the trial.
\nA lower court sentenced Gandhi on March 23 to two years in jail on charges of defamation over the comment he made while campaigning ahead of the last general election.
\nIndia\u2019s parliament disqualified Gandhi after the sentencing as the law that governs elections in India mandates disqualification of any lawmaker who is \u201cconvicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years\u201d.
\nBut opposition politicians say Gandhi\u2019s sentencing and disqualification are the latest evidence of the Modi government\u2019s strong-arm tactics and follow investigations and legal troubles faced in recent months by other opposition parties.
\nBJP leaders reject that and say Gandhi\u2019s case represents the Congress party\u2019s \u201carrogance and its readiness to hurt sections of society\u201d to settle political scores with the prime minister.
\nGandhi said on March 25 that he would not comment on his sentence as the matter was sub judice, but he said his disqualification from parliament was because he had been asking Modi what he called \u201ctough questions\u201d over his relationship with Gautam Adani, founder of the Adani conglomerate.
\nThe opposition accuses the Modi government of giving undue favours to a business group led by billionaire tycoon Adani.
\nShares of Adani Group companies plunged after Hindenburg Research, a New York-based short seller, on January 24 alleged the Indian conglomerate had engaged in stock manipulation and used tax havens. It also said the group had unsustainable debt.
\nA day after Gandhi\u2019s conviction, 14 political parties jointly petitioned the Supreme Court, saying opposition groups were being selectively targeted by federal investigative agencies. The top court has agreed to hear the plea on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has lodged an appeal against his conviction for defamation, hoping to overturn a judgment that resulted in his expulsion from parliament a year before general election is due. A court in Gujarat state\u2019s Surat city on Monday accepted his petition and posted it for hearing on April 13. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-323595","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n