Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today flew to Gujarat to challenge a Magistrate court order convicting him in a 2019 defamation case and sentencing him to two years in prison. Accompanied by his sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the former Wayanad MP is on his way to request the Surat sessions court to set aside the order, which automatically disqualified him as a Member of Parliament.
The 52-year-old former Congress president's main appeal seeks the setting aside of the Magistrate order, and two additional applications seek a stay on conviction as an interim order till the main petition is disposed of, and suspension of the two-year prison sentence as an interim order.
This strategy by the grand old party, if successful, will get Rahul Gandhi back in the Parliament, where he can continue his scathing attacks on the BJP and Prime Minister Modi on the Adani-Hindenburg issue.
Senior Advocate RS Cheema, representing Rahul Gandhi in the sessions court, will press for a hearing of his appeal and two applications today itself, and ask for orders on their two applications.
What happens in the Sessions court:
Scenario 1:
Court grants hearing today, and grants interim stay on conviction and suspension of two years sentence.
Scenario 2:
Court hearing today but refuses to grant interim stay on conviction and suspension of sentence.
Bail procedures are to be completed for the advancement of proceedings in the sessions court.
Scenario 3:
Court refuses to grant a hearing today and posts the matter for some other day.
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