Indian opposition leader to avoid prison during appeal

By KRUTIKA PATHI
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian court has suspended a two-year prison sentence for Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi as he appeals his criminal conviction for mocking the prime minister’s surname which resulted in his expulsion from Parliament, dealing a huge blow to his Congress party ahead of general elections next year. Gandhi, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in the 2024 polls, was ousted after a court sentenced him to two years in prison for defamation for a comment made in a 2019 election speech.  The prosecution of Gandhi was widely condemned by opponents of Modi as the latest assault against democracy and free speech by a government seeking to crush dissent.