Truth always prevails… I have clarity about my path, says Rahul Gandhi after SC relief

Come what may, my duty remains the same.

Protect the idea of India.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 4, 2023

Later, addressing the media at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Rahul said that this had to happen one day or the other as truth always triumphs. “My future course of action is clear in my mind and I thank the people of India of showing such love and support towards me,” he added.

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said that what remains to be seen now is how much time the Speaker takes to re-instate Rahul in Parliament as he had taken hardly 24 hours to remove him.

“This is a win for the people of India, the Constitution and democracy. Rahul is a person who fights for truth, for the country’s interest, for the youth of the country, against rising prices. He walked 4,000 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and met various people. I think their prayers are with us and it is therefore victory of the people,” Kharge added.

Senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was one of the lawyers who had argued the case on behalf of Rahul Gandhi, said that soon we would see the Congress leader return to the Parliament with important questions for the government to answer.

Reiterating that there was no evidence against Rahul, Singhvi added: “The only people who were suing Rahul Gandhi were BJP office-bearers. Not a single material of moral turpitude. Not a single judgment and yet he was given the maximum sentence.”

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and PV Sanjay Kumar, which heard Rahul’s plea challenging the Gujarat High Court order refusing to stay the conviction, noted that the trial court had not given reasons for awarding the maximum punishment of two years to the Congress leader.

‘असत्य पर सत्य की जीत हुई’

जय कांग्रेस, विजय कांग्रेस pic.twitter.com/yw0gXtdWE2

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 4, 2023

The apex court said the offence punishable under sections 498 and 499 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is a maximum of two years or fine or both. It added that only because the maximum sentence was awarded, provisions of the Representation of People Act came into play and he was disqualified. The bench said the provision would not have been attracted had the sentence been a day lesser.

The Supreme Court said the ramifications of the order are wide and affect not only the petitioners’ right to continue in public life but also that of the electorate which has elected him. “Taking into consideration these factors and that no reason has been given by the trial judge for imposing maximum sentence, the order of conviction needs to be stayed pending final adjudication,” the apex court ordered.

The grant of stay essentially means that Rahul’s conviction will be kept in abeyance — as though it did not exist. His disqualification from Parliament flowed from the conviction — and with the grant of stay, no grounds any longer exist for the disqualification.