Celebrations broke out outside Sonia Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath in Delhi as Lok Sabha Secretariat restored the Lok Sabha membership of party leader Rahul Gandhi after his conviction in the Modi surname case was stayed by the Supreme Court on Friday. The Congress had earlier said the party would approch the top court if Rahul Gandhi was not reinstated as an MP by this evening.
Congress workers, leaders and the India bloc also celebrated the restoration of his Lok Sabha membership. Congress chief Kharge was seen distributing and himself indulging in some sweets to celebrate the 'victory of love' as the Congress handle tweeted after Rahul was reinstated as an MP.
Earlier, it was reported that the Congress was ready to once against knock on the doors of the Supreme Court if Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was not restored by this evening.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted a major reprieve to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case related to his Modi surname remark.
During the hearing, a three-judge bench consisting of Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar underscored that the provisions of the Representation of People Act came into play solely due to the maximum sentence of two years awarded. The bench highlighted that if the sentence had been one day shorter, the Act's provisions would not have been applicable, particularly in cases of non-cognisable, bailable, and compoundable offences, as reported by news agency PTI.
Congress, on its official Twitter handle, dubbed the development as the victory of love against hatred.
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the lower house in March 2023 after a Gujarat court sentenced him to two years in prison in the case.