New Delhi: In a major relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha secretariat approved his return as a Member of Parliament in the Lower House on Monday.
“In view of the order dated 04.08.2023 of the Supreme Court of India, the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, notified vide Gazette Notification no. 21/4(3)/2023/TO(B) dated the 24th 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, has ceased to operate subject to furtherjudicial pronouncements,” Lok Sabha secretariat said in a statement.
Congress party leaders were seen celebrating Rahul Gandhi’s reinstatement as Lok Sabha MP. Senior congress leaders were seen exchanging sweets to celebrate the occasion
“The decision to reinstate Rahul Gandhi as an MP is a welcome step. It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad. Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating Democracy by targeting opposition leaders,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted.
The decision to reinstate Shri @RahulGandhi as an MP is a welcome step.
It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad.
Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than… pic.twitter.com/kikcZqfFvn
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 7, 2023
The Opposition party criticised the BJP for the delay in restoring Rahul’s Lok Sabha MP status. The party said that if Rahul’s membership isn’t reinstated, they may consider approaching the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Supreme Court, in an interim order, stayed his conviction in the criminal defamation case over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.
Rahul Gandhi thanking people for their love and support after the Apex Court order, said, “Aaj nahi toh kal, kal nahi toh parson sachai ki jeet hoti hai (whether it is today or tomorrow or the day after, truth always triumphs).
The Supreme Court while granting relief to Gandhi said the trial court’s order not only was Gandhi’s right to continue in public life affected but also that of the electorate who elected him.
“No reason has been given by the trial judge for imposing maximum sentence, the order of conviction needs to be stayed pending final adjudication,” the bench said.
Rahul Gandhi had approached the apex court challenging the Gujarat High Court order which declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which he was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.
After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was declared disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24 following notification of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment which disqualified him as an MP under the rigours of the Representation of People Act. In March, the magisterial court convicted Gandhi for his remarks ahead of the 2019 national polls about the ‘Modi’ surname.