Subhechcha Ganguly 
The conviction of Congressman Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case stemming from his comments about the surname “Modi” has been put on hold by the Supreme Court. Rahul Gandhi can now once again vote after his status as a Member of Parliament, which was lost as a result of his conviction, was restored.lRahul Gandhi received a two-year sentence after being found guilty of defamation on March 23 by a Surat court. He was then stripped of his right to serve in the Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament (MP) the following day. He had been the representative for Kerala’s Wayanad district.
Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar, three members of the Supreme Court’s three-judge panel, stated that there was no explanation given by the Surat court for why Rahul Gandhi should get the highest penalty for defamation. The Supreme Court issued a stay on the conviction until a final decision is made through proper adjudication because there was no justification for the harsh penaltyThe Supreme Court acknowledged that Rahul Gandhi’s comments were inappropriate, adding that someone in a position of authority in the public sphere should use discretion and caution when making public statements. The statement he made in April 2019 at an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” was expressly mentioned by the court.
