Rahul Gandhi's disqualification: TS Deo says legal team may have 'slipped up' in not approaching appellate court immediately

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha, as a consequence of a Surat court indicting him in a criminal defamation suit for his remarks against the 'Modi' community in a rally in 2019, a difference of opinion seems to have emerged among Congress leaders.

Senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh minister TS Singh Deo is of the opinion that the legal team of the party handling the case may have erred in not rushing to the appellate court, challenging the defamation verdict.

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"As far as the legal strategy is concerned, maybe there was a slip-up. It cannot be denied. When Pawan Khera was deplaned, there was an immediate response. Maybe the [disqualification] order being taken out the next day wasn't expected," he told NDTV.

The senior leader also wondered why the decision to disqualify Rahul Gandhi was taken in just 24 hours.

"Is it routine that a judgment is passed and you implement its implications overnight? Was the decision not suspended for 30 days so that the other party has an opportunity to appeal? What was the sense of pre-empting any recourse?" he added.

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However, Kapil Sibal, a former Congressman asserted that the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi was automatic as the law required it and the Speaker would only move in consonance with the law.

As the disqualification is in motion, the Wayanad constituency, which Rahul represents, has fallen vacant. The Congress scion will also not be able to contest any elections for eight years.

However, if a higher court overturns the verdict of the Surat court and stays his conviction, Rahul Gandhi could be reinstated.