Pal: Disqualification of Rahul Gandhi is “practically unheard of”

Last week, India’s parliament stripped Rahul Gandhi of his member status and sentenced him to two years in prison, disqualifying him in next year’s national elections. 

In an article in BBC News, University of Michigan associate professor of information Joyojeet Pal argues this conviction is “highly unusual” and too severe. 

“Both low-level politicians and parliamentarians in India are known to engage in extreme speech on social media and in their public meetings,” Pal says. “A conviction of this scale, with the consequence of removing the primary challenger to Modi, is practically unheard of." 

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Read “Gandhi says disqualification 'politically motivated’” on BBC News. 

Learn more about associate professor of information Joyojeet Pal by visiting his UMSI faculty profile.