MP Gets Back Lok Sabha Membership; How Different Is It From Rahul Gandhi’s Case?

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as Member of Parliament (MP) has triggered a massive political uproar across India.

Last week, the Congress leader was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by a lower court in Gujarat.

Interestingly, the Lok Sabha membership of Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal was restored on Wednesday after his conviction in a criminal case was put on hold.

An MP of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, Faizal was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Kavaratti sessions court in Lakshadweep on January 11, 2023 in a case of attempt to murder. Two days later, he was disqualified from Parliament.

Though Kerala High Court stayed the prison sentence in January itself, his disqualification was not withdrawn more than two months later.

Faizal challenged the Lok Sabha secretariat’s ‘unlawful action’ in not withdrawing his disqualification as an MP, more than two months after his sentence was put on hold.

In Rahul’s case, he was found guilty in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname by a Surat court.

He was granted bail for 30 days and allowed to appeal the decision.

The Congress leader hasn’t yet appealed. Once he files his petition challenging the conviction, his case will be heard by a sessions court. Depending on the verdict, the fate of Rahul’s Lok Sabha membership will be decided.

Though Election Commission of India (ECI) announced dates of Karnataka assembly election and some other byelections on Wednesday, ECI avoided bypoll in Wayanad, from where Rahul won the 2019 election.