Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary membership has been restored, days after the Supreme Court put on hold his conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remarks.
A notification from the Lok Sabha secretariat read that Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha member stood revoked.
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP on March 23 after a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remarks and sentenced him to two years in jail.
A punishment for two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed the decision to restore Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary membership as a "welcome step".
He also tweeted a video where he was seen offering sweets to the Opposition leaders after the Lok Sabha Secretariat revoked Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP.
Hitting out at the government, Kharge said, "Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi government should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating democracy by targeting opposition leaders."
