Court to hear India opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s appeal over two-year jail term

Gandhi was controversially disqualified from parliament last month following his conviction in a defamation case

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will appeal against a two-year jail term handed to him in a defamation case by a court in Gujarat state later on Monday.

Mr Gandhi, 52, has filed a plea in the Surat sessions court against the magistrate’s order, reported The Indian Express citing sources.

Mr Gandhi was controversially disqualified following his conviction in the defamation case for insulting prime minister Narendra Modi in a 2019 speech in which he referred to a list of “thieves” as having the surname Modi.

The case was filed by a Gujarat politician with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who also has the same surname – Purnesh Modi.

On 23 March, Mr Gandhi was found guilty of criminal defamation and sentenced to two years in prison, the minimum term required to disqualify a politician as an MP.

The court’s order had also approved his bail on a surety of Rs 15,000 (£148) and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal.

Mr Gandhi previously argued that his remarks were made to highlight corruption and had not targetted any community.

Two days after the court’s order, Mr Gandhi was disqualified from parliament in a move that has been criticised by opposition parties as well as observers.

The sentencing in Gujarat – Narendra Modi’s home state – as well as the prompt disqualification from parliament have led to widespread protests by the opposition Congress party both inside and outside parliament.

Following his disqualification, Mr Gandhi said he was being targetted because the prime minister is “scared” of him.

“I have been disqualified because the prime minister is scared of my next speech, he is scared of the next speech that is going to come on Adani,” he said.

India’s parliament has seen routine disruptions during the ongoing Budget session, as the opposition has demanded a discussion on allegations of fraud and stock manipulation against the Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate whose founder Gautam Adani is said to enjoy a close relationship with the prime minister.

The Adani Group has strongly denied the allegations.