Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi loses Parliament seat

By ASHOK SHARMA
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — Key Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has lost his parliamentary seat after a court found him guilty of defamation over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname and he was disqualified from the lawmaking body. A parliamentary statement said Friday that Gandhi, who represented a constituency in southern Kerala state, was disqualified from his membership in the lower house of Parliament from March 23, the date of his conviction. A court in the western Indian city of Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in prison on Thursday. But he won’t go to jail immediately as the court granted him bail for 30 days to file an appeal against the verdict. Gandhi briefly visited the Parliament on Friday.