Indian court dismisses Rahul Gandhi's appeal against conviction

A local court in the western Indian state of Gujarat Thursday rejected former leader of India's main opposition Congress party Rahul Gandhi's appeal seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case.

"The court of additional sessions judge today rejected Rahul Gandhi's application for a stay on conviction which, if allowed, could have paved the way for his reinstatement as the lawmaker," an official said.

Gandhi was last month sentenced to two years in jail for his 2019 comments made during an election rally about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname.

Following his conviction, the lower house of the Indian parliament disqualified him as a lawmaker.