On Friday, Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the Congress party, was disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Lok Sabha. This disqualification came after he was found guilty of violating the Representation of the People Act, which states that anyone who has been sentenced to two or more years of imprisonment will be disqualified from holding any elected office. The disqualification will last for six years after the individual has completed their sentence.
Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification puts him in a group of other MPs and MLAs who have also faced similar disqualifications in the past due to their criminal convictions. Some of the notable politicians who have faced disqualification include Indira Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav, J Jayalalithaa, Azam Khan, Vikram Singh Saini, Anil Kumar Sahni, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, Abdullah Azam Khan, Pradeep Chaudhary, and Anant Singh.
Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, was disqualified in 1975 after being convicted by the Allahabad High Court for electoral malpractices during her election campaign. She was barred from holding any elected position for six years, which is the maximum penalty under the Representation of the People Act.
Lalu Prasad Yadav, a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former Chief Minister of Bihar, was disqualified as an MP from the Saran constituency in Bihar in 2013 after being convicted in the fodder scam case. He was sentenced to five years in jail.
J Jayalalithaa, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), was disqualified from the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2014 after being convicted in a disproportionate assets case. She was sentenced to four years in jail.
Azam Khan, a leader of the Samajwadi Party, was disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2022 after being sentenced to three years in jail in a hate speech case. He was elected as an MLA from the Rampur Sadar constituency, which was won by the BJP in the bypoll last year.
Vikram Singh Saini, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and MLA from the Khatauli constituency in Uttar Pradesh, was disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2022 after being convicted in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case. He was sentenced to two years in jail.
Anil Kumar Sahni, an RJD MLA from the Kurhani Assembly constituency in Bihar, was disqualified from the Bihar Assembly in 2022 after being convicted in a forgery case. He was sentenced to three years in jail.
Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a former BJP MLA from the Bangarmau Assembly constituency in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, was disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2020 after being convicted in a rape case. He was expelled from the party in 2019.
Abdullah Azam Khan, the son of Azam Khan and an MLA from the Suar Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, was disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2023 after being convicted in a 15-year-old case and sentenced to two years in jail.
Pradeep Chaudhary, a Congress MLA from the Kalka Assembly constituency in Haryana, was disqualified from the Haryana Assembly in 2021 after being convicted in an assault case.
Anant Singh, an RJD MLA from the Mokama Assembly constituency in Bihar, was disqualified from the Bihar Assembly in 2020 after being convicted in a case pertaining to the recovery of arms from his