NEW DELHI: A court in India's Gujarat state on Friday upheld top opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction for defamation.
Rahul was given a two-year prison sentence in March for a speech in 2019 in which he had wondered how come “all thieves have Modi as the common surname”.
His remarks at the election campaign event in southern India referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fugitive diamond tycoon Nirav Modi and former Indian Premier League (IPL) boss Lalit Modi.
The Gujarat High Court dismissed Rahul's petition seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court.
The guilty verdict had led to the prominent politician losing his parliament seat.
Rahul's Indian National Congress can now approach the Supreme Court to get the conviction overturned.
The party will study the Gujarat High Court verdict and explore all available legal options, senior official K.C. Venugopal said. -Bernama
