Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail on charges of defamation pertaining to a 2019 speech he made in which he referred to a group of thieves as having the same surname as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The case was brought against Rahul Gandhi by Purnesh Modi, a lawmaker from India’s Bharatiya Janata party, who claimed Gandhi's statement defamed the entire Modi community.

Protests have broken out among Gandhi’s supporters, and free speech advocates are claiming the British-era criminal  law used to sentence Gandhi is used by politicians to silence criticism, and goes against the principles of freedom.  

Gandhi was granted bail for 30 days prior to his incarceration, and says he will file an appeal.

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