India’s Supreme Court on Friday suspended the conviction of Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case that led to his expulsion from parliament.
The decision allows Mr Gandhi, 52, to seek readmission to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, where he has been a member for nearly two decades.
Mr Gandhi was convicted by a lower court in March of defaming all people with the same surname as Prime Minister Narendra Modi in remarks made during an election speech in 2019.
The court in Gujarat, Mr Modi's home state, sentenced him to two years in jail. Legislators who receive prison terms of two years and above are automatically disqualified from the legislature.
Mr Gandhi appealed to the Supreme Court after the Gujarat high court upheld his conviction last month.
The Supreme Court said there was no reason given by the trial judge for imposing the maximum punishment of two years.
“Except the admonition to the petitioner by this court in a contempt proceeding, no other reason has been granted by the learned trial judge while imposing the maximum sentence of two years,” the three-judge bench of Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Sanjay Kumar said in its order.
The court, however, said that the leader’s remarks made at an election rally were “not in good taste”.
The Parliament Speaker is expected to revoke Mr Gandhi’s expulsion following the decision, which also leaves the Congress leader eligible to contest the general election due next year.
"Truth always wins. But whatever happens, my path is clear. I have clarity on what I want to do," Mr Gandhi said after the ruling.
"I thank those who helped us and the people who gave us their love and support."
The Congress leader, who represented the Wayanad constituency in Kerala state, had said "how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" during a campaign speech in the southern state of Karnataka in 2019, referring to Mr Modi’s alleged links to the country's corporate leaders.
He also mentioned two fugitive businessmen, Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who are not related to the Prime Minister.
The defamation suit against him was filed by Purnesh Modi, a politician from the Prime Minister's Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat.
The state legislator and former minister in the Gujarat government said the remarks defamed the entire Modi community. The surname is common in the western state.
Congress party leaders and workers gathered at the party's headquarters to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Napoleon
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
More coverage from the Future Forum
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
More about Middle East geopolitics
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
