In this file photo taken on December 31, 2022 India's Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi speaks during a press conference in New Delhi. Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP
New Delhi: Top Indian opposition figure Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified from parliament as a result of his conviction for defamation, a notice from the national legislature said Friday.
"Rahul Gandhi... stands disqualified from the member of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction," the notice said.
The decision by the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's legislature, comes a day after Gandhi was found guilty of defamation for a 2019 campaign trail remark implying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a criminal.
Gandhi, the leading face of the opposition Congress party, was sentenced to two years imprisonment but immediately granted bail after his lawyers announced their intention to appeal.
Congress spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh confirmed to AFP that his party had received the notice.
