Will Rahul Gandhi return to Parliament today? All eyes on Lok Sabha secretariat; INDIA to hold meet

All eyes will be on the Lok Sabha secretariat on Monday as it will begin the process to reinstate Congress’s Rahul Gandhi after the Supreme Court’s order on Friday staying his conviction in a criminal defamation case.

Lok Sabha officials said the authenticated copy of the Supreme Court order will be reviewed and necessary action taken. “After the order is studied, the process usually takes less than 30 minutes. The proforma for such notifications are readily available with the secretariat,” an official told HT.

The Congress has called for a meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs in the party’s parliamentary office at 10:30am on Monday where it is likely to raise its demand of reinstating Rahul Gandhi as a member of Parliament after the Supreme Court verdict in ‘Modi surname remark case’.

A copy of the Supreme Court order, that stayed Gandhi’s conviction by a Surat court, was formally handed over to the Lok Sabha secretariat, Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Saturday. The apex court issued notices to the Gujarat government and the complainant in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat high court order.

The reinstatement, however, can turn into a lengthy process if the secretariat decides to seek the law ministry’s opinion, as it happened in Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Md Faizal’s case earlier this year.

The Lakshadweep MP got a stay in his conviction from Kerala high court in January but waited for nearly two months before he could return to the Lok Sabha. “But chances of such a move are remote. This is an order of the Supreme Court,” said a senior official of the Lok Sabha, asking not to be named.

INDIA alliance parties meet today

Floor leaders of the newly formed Opposition alliance the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I.A will meet at the office of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament on Monday to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House. The meeting will be held at 10 am.

In both the meetings – of the I.N.D.I.A. and Congress – Opposition leaders will discuss plans for future moves if Gandhi’s disqualification is not revoked at the earliest. “We all expect the Lok Sabha Speaker to take the right decision at the earliest,” said Congress’ Lok Sabha lawmaker Manickam Tagore.

Why Rahul Gandhi’s membership not restored: Stalin

DMK president and chief minister MK Stalin on Sunday asked why the BJP regime at the Centre has not restored the Lok Sabha membership of Rahul Gandhi and asked if it was afraid of him.

“Why hasn’t Thiru @RahulGandhi been restored as an MP despite the Supreme Court staying his conviction? Why the urgency shown to disqualify him is missing now? Is the BJP afraid of brother #RahulGandhi’s presence in Parliament?” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narayanan Thirupathy in a tweet said: “Parliament has got its rules and regulations.@RahulGandhi was a member who violated it’s rules. He is not supreme. Democracy is supreme. His presence makes no difference as the world knows he speaks and then winks.”

Trinamool’s Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, said, “It’s been over 48 hours since the Supreme Court stayed the unlawful conviction of Shri Rahul Gandhi. The Lok Sabha secretariat must immediately comply with the Supreme Court’s order. Any delay is unjust and in defiance of India’s highest court.”