India Supreme Court stays Gandhi conviction in Modi surname case

Ruling brings relief to opposition leader ahead of 2024 election

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Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrives at party headquarters in New Delhi, as Congress cruised to victory in the Karnataka election in May. © Reuters

KIRAN SHARMA, Nikkei staff writer

NEW DELHI -- India's top court on Friday suspended a criminal defamation conviction against opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, in a major win for his Congress party ahead of next year's general election.

Gandhi had been convicted in March of defaming those who share the surname of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was handed a two-year jail sentence, pending appeal, and swiftly booted out of parliament. Failures to get the verdict overturned in lower courts made the Supreme Court his last hope.

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