A court in India’s western state of Gujarat yesterday rejected Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s petition seeking a stay of conviction in a defamation case, fueling uncertainty over whether he could contest an election that is due next year.
Gandhi last month was convicted in a case brought by a state lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after comments he made that were deemed to be insulting to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other people surnamed Modi.
“The Surat district court has not granted a stay on Rahul Gandhi’s conviction,” Naishadh Desai, a local Congress party leader and lawyer, told reporters outside the court room.
Photo: REUTERS
“We are going to challenge the decision in Gujarat High Court tomorrow. We have full faith that the judiciary will uphold justice and save the democracy,” he said.
While the ruling was a setback for Gandhi, his jail sentence remained suspended until he exhausts all legal challenges.
Gandhi, 52, lost his parliamentary seat last month after being convicted and sentenced to two years in jail for comments made during an election campaign rally in 2019.
In India, lawmakers who are sentenced to jail terms of two years or more are barred from running for election.
Senior Congress leader and Supreme Court lawyer Jairam Ramesh said the party would use every legal option to overturn Gandhi’s conviction.
During a political rally in 2019, Gandhi had referred to two fugitive businessmen, both surnamed Modi and asked: “How come all thieves have the name Modi?”
The defamation case against Gandhi was brought by Purnesh Modi, a BJP legislator in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
The BJP has repeatedly targeted the Gandhi family with allegations of corruption as part of its strategy to eliminate the political threat from Congress, and malign the reputation of a dynasty that dominated Indian politics for decades after independence in 1947.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un renewed his call for a “limitless” expansion of his military nuclear program to counter US-led threats in comments reported yesterday that were his first direct criticism toward Washington since US president-elect Donald Trump’s electoral victory on Oct. 6. At a conference with army officials on Friday, Kim condemned the US for updating its nuclear deterrence strategies with South Korea and solidifying three-way military cooperation involving Japan, which he portrayed as an “Asian NATO” that was escalating tensions and instability in the region. Kim also criticized the US over its support of Ukraine against a prolonged Russian invasion.
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
RSS