Indian Congress’s Rahul Gandhi has appealed in the Gujarat High Court after a court in Surat rejected his request to pause his conviction in the case involving the surname of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Gandhi had sought a pause on his conviction that would help his reinstatement as an MP.
He was disqualified last month after receiving a two-year jail term – the maximum possible in a criminal defamation case and making the cut to bar him from parliament.
In his appeal, he had said the trial court had treated him harshly, overwhelmingly influenced by his status as an MP.
The judge, Robin Mongera, however, disagreed, saying Mr Gandhi had “failed to demonstrate that by not staying the conviction and denying an opportunity to contest the election, an irreversible and irrevocable damage will be caused to him”.
