On March 23, 2023, Rahul Gandhi, the Member of Parliament and former President of the Indian National Congress, was convicted by the Surat court in a case filed against him by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi. The case pertained to a statement made by Gandhi in which he allegedly said that he would die in 2022. The court found him guilty of violating the Indian Penal Code and disqualified him from his position as a Member of Parliament.
The trial had been stalled for some time due to a petition filed by Modi in the High Court, which had stayed the proceedings for a year. However, the case was reopened in February 2023, and the judgment was delivered on March 23, 2023.
Gandhi’s disqualification was announced on March 24, 2023. The decision was based on the verdict of the Surat court and came as a blow to the Indian National Congress, which had been struggling to maintain its relevance in the face of a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party. The government had already been targeting Gandhi, with Adani Akramal Nildesin making a statement against him in the Lok Sabha on February 7, 2023.
Gandhi’s disqualification marks a significant development in Indian politics and raises questions about the future of the Indian National Congress.
