Standards of judicial independence, says Germany to Rahul's case

Germany has favoured the “standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles” and it should apply in the case of opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also following his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP after his conviction in a defamation case. A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry on Wednesday,said the government had “taken note of the verdict of first instance” against Rahul Gandhi and the “suspension of his parliamentary mandate”..“To our knowledge, Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict. It will then become clear whether this verdict will stand and whether the suspension of his mandate has any basis,” the spokesperson told a regular media briefing.

NEW: Rahul Gandhi case
German Foreign Ministry spokesperson comments for first time:

- Takes note of verdict, suspension from parliament
- Appeal will show whether verdict stands & suspension has basis
- Expects standards of judicial independence & democratic principles to apply pic.twitter.com/dNZB6vflG2

— Richard Walker (@rbsw) March 29, 2023

The comments by the German foreign ministry’s spokesperson came close on the heels of US state department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel saying that the US is tracking Gandhi’s case in Indian courts. Patel further said the US continues to highlight the importance of democratic principles and protection of human rights, including freedom of expression, as a “key to strengthening both our democracies”.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said no foreign diplomat has raised with him the issue of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as member of lower house, which, he stressed, was an outcome of a law "supported" by the Congress leader in the past.