Stay of conviction
The stay of conviction by the Supreme Court of India brings much relief to democracy lovers because nobody would have normally taken the remark Mr. Gandhi made in 2019 seriously. No one would have ever thought a defamation case would be filed and, above all, Mr. Gandhi punished for two years, disqualifying him from entering Parliament for eight years. What was more astonishing was that the Surat court and the Gujarat High Court refused to stay the conviction pending appeal for this offence to enable him to attend Parliament.
It was left to the Supreme Court to give Mr. Gandhi much-needed relief which has also shown the judiciary in a good light. He should get back to Parliament with renewed vigour. The entire episode should now result in Parliament seriously reconsidering amending this provision of the Representation of The People Act.
N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai
Legally speaking, Mr.. Gandhi was ‘guilty’ of making a sweeping statement against the Modi ‘clan’. He also refused to apologise. The duration of two years for the offending remark was a little bit harsh though not entirely wrong as Mr. Gandhi had already been warned by the higher judiciary to exercise caution while speaking in public. The episode could have ended had Mr. Gandhi apologised. But he remained defiant.
The Congress leader should have been admonished by the higher judiciary for not heeding its earlier warning. The case could have been dealt with on its merits. A leader of his stature should not utter such insinuations. No court should allow such behaviour by any one.
Govardhana Myneedu,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
In Pakistan
An Islamabad trial court sentencing former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to three years in jail was on the cards.
The Toshakhana case conviction will hurt his chances of returning to power. Pakistan has a long and dubious history of arresting former leaders. But the development just before the general elections could profoundly impact Pakistan’s politics in the near term.
N.J. Ravi Chander,
Bengaluru
