Indian court dismisses opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea

Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian court has dismissed opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay his conviction in a criminal defamation case that resulted in his expulsion from Parliament. Gandhi, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in 2024 polls, was convicted last month and sentenced to two years in prison over a 2019 speech in which he asked, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” Gandhi then referred to three well-known and unrelated Modis: a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, a cricket executive banned from the Indian Premier League tournament and the prime minister. A court in Modi’s home state of Gujarat suspended the prison sentence earlier in April for the duration of the appeal process.