A court in India has suspended a two-year prison sentence handed down to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, pending his appeal in a criminal defamation case that led to his expulsion from parliament ahead of next year's general elections.
Gandhi was accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Vadra, and several senior party leaders in his Congress Party as he appeared in a Gujarat court on Monday to appeal his conviction. The court is set to hear the petition on April 13.
Gandhi was sentenced in connection with a comment he made at an election rally in 2019 where he asked, "Why do all thieves have the name Modi" and mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name along with that of two fugitive businessmen, Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi.
The case against Gandhi was filed by Purnesh Modi, a lawmaker in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the prime minister's home state of Gujarat, who alleged that the comments defamed the entire Modi community.
A lawmaker who is convicted and sentenced to a prison term of two years or more faces disqualification from parliament, according to Indian law.
More significantly, Gandhi will not be able to contest general elections scheduled to be held next year unless the sentence is suspended, or he is acquitted following his appeal.
In a country with a slow-moving judicial system, many commentators say that Gandhi could be mired in the legal system for years.
After he was expelled from parliament, Gandhi said that he was targeted because he had raised serious questions in parliament about Modi's relationship with Gautam Adani, a business magnate whose fortunes rose dramatically over the last decade.
Gandhi's expulsion from parliament came as he was trying to rejuvenate the Congress Party.
Gandhi, who is the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that dominated Indian politics for decades, is seen as the de facto leader of the Congress Party, although he stepped down as its president in 2019. The party has fared poorly under his leadership and has been pushed to the margins amid the spectacular rise of the BJP since Modi rose to power in 2014.
Political analysts say it remains to be seen whether Gandhi's expulsion from parliament will win him public sympathy, as the opposition projects him as a political victim, or if it will help Modi by possibly removing the only challenger with a national profile in a country with a fractured opposition.
The Congress Party and other opposition parties allege that the case is politically motivated and have denounced the actions against Gandhi as an assault on democracy.
They accuse Modi's government of trying to quell dissent and demolish the opposition. Although the Congress Party has fared poorly against the ruling BJP in the last two elections, Gandhi is seen as the main challenger to Modi in next year's polls.
The BJP has denied the allegations, saying Gandhi's conviction followed due process of law. They accuse the Congress leader of arrogance and of hurting those who bear the Modi name.
After his court hearing, Gandhi said, "This is a fight to save democracy."
"In this struggle, truth is my weapon and truth is my refuge," he tweeted in Hindi.
