India's parliament disqualifies opposition leader Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi addresses the crowd in Panipat
Rahul Gandhi, a leader of India's main opposition Congress party, addresses the crowd at a public rally held during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India March), in Panipat, India, January 6, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo

NEW DELHI, March 24 (Reuters) - India's parliament on Friday disqualified opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi as a lawmaker after a lower court found him guilty of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison, according to a parliament notice.

Gandhi, 52, a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, was convicted on Thursday for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. The court granted him bail immediately and suspended the sentence for a month.

Reporting by Shivam Patel; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

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