NEW DELHI: In a decisive blow to the aspirations of Rahul Gandhi, the prominent opposition leader in India, a high court in the western region of the country dismissed his appeal to suspend his conviction in a high-profile defamation case.
The ruling effectively extinguishes his immediate prospects of reentering parliament and participating in the upcoming national elections slated for next year.
Gandhi’s legal recourse now rests on the possibility of taking his appeal to a larger bench of the same high court and, subsequently, to the Supreme Court. These remaining avenues represent his final lifeline in the face of this setback, according to Arab News.
The scion of India’s venerable Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, faced a conviction in March following a defamation lawsuit initiated by a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state legislator. The suit had been prompted by remarks made by Gandhi in 2019, which were deemed to be offensive toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others sharing the Modi surname.
Despite his status as a prominent figure in Indian politics, the 52-year-old Gandhi was met with a two-year prison sentence. However, the implementation of jail term was promptly suspended, allowing him to secure his release on bail pending the outcome of the appeal.
As the legal battle progresses, Rahul Gandhi’s future in politics hangs in the balance. The ramifications of this high court’s ruling are far-reaching, potentially impacting the dynamics of the upcoming national elections and the overall political landscape in India.
