Daily Briefing: What’s next for Rahul Gandhi; At RNG awards, CJI stresses on free press and democracy

Big Story

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case over his 2019 remark about “thieves with the surname Modi” and sentenced to two years in prison.

What’s next? Moments after he was held guilty, the court granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days so he can appeal in a higher court.

But does this mean he can be disqualified as an MP? Technically, he can be. The conviction triggers the process of his disqualification as a lawmaker. Here is how it works.

Political fallout: As expected, the BJP welcomed the judgement, while the Congress wasn’t too pleased.

Only in the Express

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud was the chief guest at the 16th Ramnath Goenka Awards. At the ceremony, Chandrachud spoke about how the press must remain free if a country is to remain a democracy.

Here is his full speech.

From the Front Page

Amritpal Singh, the Waris Punjab De chief who has been on the run for about a week now, was spotted in Haryana on March 20. Police have arrested Baljit Kaur, a 30-year-old woman, for allegedly providing shelter to him and his associate at her home in the Kurukshetra district.

The UK said it will review security at the Indian High Commission in London following “unacceptable acts of violence” towards the mission’s staff. Earlier this week, India summoned the most senior British diplomat in New Delhi to protest the actions of demonstrators with “Khalistan” banners, who detached the Indian flag from the first-floor balcony of the diplomatic mission’s building.

Must Read

BJP president J P Nadda has announced new chiefs for the party’s units in Rajasthan, Odisha, Bihar and Delhi, all Opposition-ruled states, balancing internal and caste equations. If in poll-bound Rajasthan and in Delhi, the prime concern appears to have been unity in the faction-ridden party, in Bihar, the BJP has gone for an aggressive new face from a caste that has traditionally voted for JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, while in Odisha, it has gone in for an OBC leader in the hope of creating a loyal support base.

When the Federal Reserve raised the interest rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, it sent an important signal: that the US central bank will prioritise the fight against inflation over the turmoil in the banking sector. George Mathew explains what this means for investors, adding that the rate hike means that foreign investors will go for investments in US debt and other avenues, which will impact the flow of funds into Indian equity markets.

And Finally

Cricket: Hastening Jasprit Bumrah’s return may result in career-threatening injury. Bumrah, who reportedly underwent surgery on his injury-prone lower back recently in New Zealand, is set to return to India towards the end of the month or in the first week of April.

Delhi Confidential: BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Darjeeling, Raju Bista, has been a champion of the Nepali language ever since he won from the seat. He has had a recent victory — from April 1, all AIR Nepali language programmes which broadcasts Nepali news internationally, will be produced in Darjeeling’s AIR Kurseong which has been upgraded under his watch.

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we dive into the Amritpal case — who is Amritpal Singh, why has the police launched an intense crackdown against him, and what challenges lie ahead of the Punjab government at a time when Khalistani sentiments have resurfaced.

Until tomorrow,

Rahel Philipose and Navmi Krishna

Business As Usual by EP Unny