The court said that it will have to hear the other side of the case as well. It has given a time of 10 days to the complainant to file a written response to Rahul Gandhi's petition.
Rahul Gandhi contended in his plea that penalising him for what he termed minor defamation charges deprives the constituents of their voice in Parliament and their ability to participate in democratic governance.
Rahul Gandhi may now go to a larger bench of the Gujarat High Court or the Supreme Court. If they overturn the verdict or even reduce the sentence, his disqualification will be withdrawn.