The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha after his conviction in the ‘Modi surname case’ a day earlier on March 23 caused a furore in Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, accused the grand old party of being responsible for the dismissal of the Wayanad Member of Parliament (MP) as it ‘did not file an appeal against his conviction, despite having several distinguished lawyers in the party’.
Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing Rahul Gandhi before the Gujarat high court bench of Justice Hemant M Prachchhak, has responded to the claims. Singhvi questioned the “validity” and “fairness” of the Lok Sabha secretariat’s decision to dismiss Gandhi after “only 24 hours”.
“Because you have the power to do something does not mean there are no fetters inbuilt without saying in the power in the manner you exercise it,” Singhvi said on Saturday in defence of Rahul Gandhi against the Surat court order of two years in prison, which later resulted his disqualification from Parliament and has made him ineligible to run for office for six years. (ALSO READ: How Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from parliament works)
Singhvi continued, “I am amused to see on television a lot of unasked advice; if I were there, I would file an appeal in 8 hours, someone said I would file an appeal in 24 hours. There must be supersonic lawyers. But the point is, are we here to do supersonic filing?”
“I jump into the Lordship Court and tell him I’ve translated half of the judgement but this disqualification is going to happen tomorrow, so take my appeal immediately,” Singhvi added.
Hearing against Surat court order convicting Rahul Gandhi in ‘Modi surname’ defamation case is underway in Gujarat high court.
Rahul Gandhi victim of Congress conspiracy: BJP
Ravi Shankar Prasad, the BJP MP and former law minister, had accused the Congress of ‘encashing’ Gandhi’s conviction in Karnataka assembly elections.
He questioned why Congress did not use its “famed battery of legal experts.” “What else can explain their failure to show the alacrity which was for all to see in Pawan Khera’s case?” (ALSO READ: Pawan Khera’s arrest, release on interim bail: What happened at Delhi airport?)
Union minister Anurag Thakur too asked why no ‘famous Congress lawyer challenged’ Rahul Gandhi’s defamation case sentencing before he was disqualified.
“You (Rahul Gandhi) have to dig into the matter and find out who formed this well-planned conspiracy to get rid of you…There are a battery of lawyers as members of Congress, isn’t there anyone left to give right advice?” Thakur said. (ALSO READ: ‘Well-planned conspiracy in Congress’: BJP on Rahul Gandhi losing Lok Sabha seat)
The ruling party has maintained that Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha is ‘natural outcome of law’.