Priyanka quotes Buddha to hail SC judgement on Rahul

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday thanked the Supreme Court for staying the conviction of her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi in the 'Modi surname' defamation case by quoting Gautama Buddha's lines that three things cannot be long hidden -- the sun, the moon, and the truth.

In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth' -- Gautama Buddha. Thanks to the Supreme Court for the justified order. Satyamev Jayate."

Her remarks came after the Supreme Court stayed the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the 'Modi surname' defamation case, which cost him his Lok Sabha membership, saying that no reasons were given by the trial judge for imposing the maximum punishment of two years in the case. 

Party leader and noted lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, senior advocates Rajinder Cheema, Harin Raval, and advocates Tarannum Cheema, and Prasanna Advocates appeared for Rahul Gandhi. 

Gandhi was disqualified as an MP in March this year after a Surat court convicted him and sentenced him to two years in prison for his "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname" remark made during an election rally in Karnataka in April 2019. Gandhi's remark was interpreted as an attempt to draw an implicit connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.

In March, the sessions court in Surat had dismissed Gandhi's plea seeking suspension of his conviction by the magistrate court, stating that his disqualification will not result in an irreversible loss to him. The Congress leader was disqualified under a rule that bars convicted MPs from holding Lok Sabha membership.