Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has welcomed the Supreme Court's stay on Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the "Modi surname" case and said the order reinforces people's trust in Indian democracy.
Mr Kejriwal's party, AAP, is an ally of the Congress and is part of the newly minted Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
"I welcome Hon'ble Supreme Court's intervention in an unjust defamation case against Rahul Gandhi ji. It reinforces people's trust in Indian democracy and the judicial system. Congratulations to him and to the people of Wayanad," Mr Kejriwal tweeted today.
After the first opposition unity meeting in Patna on June 23, AAP had dropped a bombshell saying it will not be part of any future opposition gatherings that include the Congress until the party publicly opposed the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi.
The party had, however, joined the July 17 meeting in Bengaluru - where the INDIA name was coined - after the Congress came out in support of the AAP's campaign against the ordinance. The Congress had said it would oppose the bill replacing the ordinance when it was tabled in Parliament.
After a heated debate, the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed by the Lok Sabha yesterday. Opposition MPs had walked out after it was passed.
The Supreme Court today stayed the conviction of Mr Gandhi in the criminal defamation case over the "Modi Surname" remark, but maintained that his remarks were not in good taste, especially for a person in public life.
The bench observed that the trial judge had awarded the maximum sentence of two years in the case and noted that Mr Gandhi would not have been disqualified if the period of sentence was even a day shorter. The order paves the way for the Congress leader's re-entry in Parliament.
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