Guwahati: The ruling of Rahul Gandhi’s initial suspension from the Parliament has been noted by both the United States and Germany.
During a press briefing that was aired on German state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “We have taken note of the verdict of first instance against the Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate. To our knowledge, Mr Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict,”
“It will then become clear whether this verdict will stand and whether the suspension of his mandate has any basis,” the spokesperson added.
Germany “expects that the standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will apply in the the case,” she further said.
US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated earlier this week that the US is carefully monitoring Rahul Gandhi’s legal case in Indian courts.
“Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy, and we’re watching Mr Gandhi’s case in Indian courts,” he said while addressing a press briefing in Washnigton
According to Patel, the US and the Indian government cooperate on issues related to their common commitment to democratic principles, such as freedom of expression.
“The US engages with the government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values, including of course freedom of expression in our engagements with our Indian partners,” Patel had said.
Rahul Gandhi was found guilty of criminal defamation for his comment about the “Modi surname,” and as of that date, he was ineligible to serve in the Lok Sabha on March 23.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was found guilty on Thursday and given a two-year prison term in a defamation case that was brought against him in 2019 over allegedly disparaging comments he made about the “Modi surname.” The court gave him bail and suspended the punishment for 30 days in order to give him time to file an appeal with a higher court.
In the build-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha general elections, Gandhi had allegedly remarked, “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” during a public rally at Kolar in Karnataka. Based on it, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi had lodged a complaint against the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi.