Soon after the Supreme Court stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a criminal defamation case over Modi surname remark, Congress intensified its call to reinstate him as a member of Parliament. While it took less than 24 hours to notify Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha when he was sentenced to two years in jail, the Lok Sabha secretariat has yet to issue an order after the apex court's order on Friday.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said on Sunday that Gandhi should be in Parliament on Monday as a natural consequence in the aftermath of the top court order. He also added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot drag its feet anymore as 48 hours have passed since the court gave its order.

"Sh.@RahulGandhiji’s conviction was stayed on Friday. As a natural consequence, he should be in Parliament tomorrow. The BJP cannot drag it's (sic) feet anymore, over 48 hours have passed since the Supreme Court verdict," Venugopal posted on X, formerly Twitter.

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"Any further delay in issuing the necessary notification will be going against the spirit of the SC order. As the SC rightly noted, his disqualification is not a personal matter but something that impacts the democratic rights of the people of Wayanad."

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said on Sunday that the Lok Sabha Secretariat must immediately comply with the Supreme Court's order staying the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case, and demanded restoration of the Congress leader's membership in the Lower House.

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"It's been over 48 hours since the Supreme Court stayed the unlawful conviction of Rahul Gandhi. The Lok Sabha Secretariat must immediately comply with the Supreme Court's order," Moitra wrote in a tweet attacking the BJP-led Central government.

The Supreme Court's ruling on Friday came on a petition filed by Rahul challenging his conviction and sentencing by a trial court in Surat in the criminal defamation case.

The Congress leader had earlier challenged the trial court order at the Gujarat High Court, which upheld the ruling of the lower court.

Apart from being convicted, the Congress leader was also handed a 2-year prison sentence in the case. However, the sentence was set aside to enable him to challenge his conviction and sentencing at a higher court.

Following his conviction, Rahul was stripped of his membership in the Lok Sabha and was also forced to vacate his official bungalow. 

(With input from agencies)


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