Top Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi appealed on Monday against the defamation conviction that resulted in his expulsion from parliament two weeks ago. Gandhi, 52, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment in a case about remarks he made in 2019 seen as insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and those sharing his surname, is looking to overturn the conviction before elections due next year.
The sentence also renders Gandhi ineligible to stand in the polls, which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win convincingly. Modi’s government is widely accused of using the defamation law to silence critics, and the case in the premier’s home state of Gujarat is one of several lodged against his chief opponent in recent years. “In this struggle, truth is my weapon, and truth is my support!” Gandhi tweeted after he left the crowded court complex in Surat city in the western state of Gujarat, waving to supporters and Congress members who had gathered in large numbers.—AFP
