India's parliament reinstates Rahul Gandhi as lawmaker

New Delhi: India's parliament reinstated opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi as lawmaker after his defamation conviction was suspended by the country's top court, local TV channels reported on Monday.

The Congress leader who was disqualified from the lower house in March 2023 was reinstated as the Wayanad MP.

"In continuation of Notification No. 21/4(3)/2023/TO(B), dated the 24th March, 2023, the Supreme Court of India has passed an order on 04.08.2023 in Special Leave to Appeal (Crl.) No. 8644/2023, staying the conviction of Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala, which was ordered by the judgment dated23.03.2023 of the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat in C.C./ 18712/2019," an official notification issued by Lok Sabha secretariat read.

"In view of order dated 04.08.2023 of the Supreme Court of India, the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, notified vide Gazette Notification no. 21/4(3)/2023/TO(B) dated the 24th March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, has ceased to operate subject to furtherjudicial pronouncements," it added.

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Gandhi's conviction in the criminal defamation case over the 'Modi surname' remark.

The apex court issued notices to the Gujarat government and the complainant in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat High Court order.

The Gujarat High Court, had, in its order earlier, declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which Rahul was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the 'Modi surname' remark.

After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24.