Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday convened a meeting of top party leaders at his residence to discuss the situation arising out of the conviction and two-year sentence of Rahul Gandhi by a Surat court in a defamation case.

Senior Congress leaders, including party MPs, gathered at Kharge's residence in the evening and deliberated on the political fallout of Gandhi's conviction.

A court at Surat in Gujarat on Thursday sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "why all thieves have Modi surname" remark. The court also granted the former Congress chief bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.

Sources said the party leaders discussed that immediate legal remedies be taken to challenge the Surat trial court verdict and get it stayed from a higher court.

They said a petition to challenge the order is being prepared and will be filed in the District and Sessions Court.

The sources also said that there was difference of opinion on whether Gandhi should go to Parliament on Friday as he faces possible disqualification from the Lok Sabha as per the Supreme Court judgement of July 2013.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, however, said that legal experts will examine the Surat court verdict against Rahul Gandhi and only after that the government will take a decision on the next step.

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