Congress leader Rahul Gandhi nominated to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence

 Days after reinstating as the Member of Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was nominated to the parliamentary standing committee on Defence. Before being disqualified in March, Gandhi was a member of the parliamentary panel on defence.

Earlier on August 7, Lok Sabha Secretariat restored the membership of Rahul Gandhi after the Supreme Court on August 4 stayed his conviction in the ‘Modi’ surname remark case.

The Congress leader who was disqualified from the Lower House in March 2023 was reinstated as the Wayanad MP.

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Gandhi`s conviction in the criminal defamation case over the `Modi surname` remark. The apex court issued notice to the Gujarat government in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat High Court order.

The Gujarat High Court, had, in its order earlier, declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which Rahul was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the `Modi surname` remark.

After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24. 

According to a Lok Sabha bulletin, Congress MP Amar Singh too has been nominated to the committee. Newly elected Aam Aadmi Party member of Lok Sabha Sushil Kumar Rinku has been nominated to the committee on agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing. Rinku had recently won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-poll and is the sole AAP member in the Lower House of Parliament.