Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Congress party to move Supreme Court after Gujarat HC denies appeal

The Gujarat High Court has denied Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking a stay of his criminal defamation sentence.

Rahul Gandhi was convicted to two years in prison in March for remarks he made at an electoral rally in 2019 regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname.

Following his conviction, he was removed from the House of Commons.

The Congress party said on Friday that Gandhi will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

Gandhi will not be arrested until he exhausts all legal options, as his arrest has been stayed.

The ruling on Friday is considered as a defeat for the Congress leader because it means he would be unable to run in national elections next year.

The Gujarat high court said Mr Gandhi's conviction was "just and proper" in dismissing his appeal.

Later that day, party leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a press conference that the issue was about "free speech and expression."

These complaints were lodged by workers for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to him.

"The aim of this government is to control the freedom of expression," he said. "That is why the law of defamation has been misused."

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said Mr Gandhi was "fighting for truth" and would continue this fight.

Gandhi lost his seat in parliament a day after his conviction on 23 March due to a Supreme Court order which says that a lawmaker convicted in a crime and sentenced to two or more years in jail is disqualified with immediate effect.