Indian opposition leader will avoid prison during appeals

India’s opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi at a previous court appearance (AP)

An Indian court has suspended a two-year prison sentence for Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi as he appeals against a criminal conviction for mocking the Prime Minister’s surname that saw him expelled from Parliament, dealing a huge blow to his Congress Party ahead of general elections next year.

Gandhi, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in the 2024 polls, was ousted after a court sentenced him to two years in prison for defamation over a comment made in a 2019 election speech.