 in the election. The case against Mr Gandhi was filed over comments he made about Mr Modi's surname in a 2019 election rally. His conviction and disqualification had sparked protests from opposition parties, which accused the governing BJP of targeting him. The BJP had denied this, saying due judicial process was followed in the case. Speaking at a rally in Karnataka state in 2019, Mr Gandhi had said: "Why do all these thieves have Modi as their surname? Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi." Nirav Modi is a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon while Lalit Modi is a former chief of the Indian Premier League who has been banned for life by the country's cricket board. BJP lawmaker Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case against Mr Gandhi, alleging that the comments had defamed the entire Modi community. Mr Gandhi had argued that he made the comment to highlight corruption and it was not directed against any community. He was convicted by a court in Gujarat state in March and sentenced to two years i){kind=link}
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has returned to parliament for the first time since he was convicted in a criminal defamation case.
The Congress party leader had lost his lawmaker status in March after he was sentenced to two years in jail.
He was reinstated as MP on Monday, two days after the Supreme Court suspended his conviction.
Congress leaders celebrated his return by shouting slogans and distributing sweets outside parliament.
Leaders of other opposition parties also expressed their joy over Mr Gandhi’s return to parliament.