India lawmaker objects to opposition leader Gandhi's appeal against defamation conviction

FILE PHOTO: Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, arrives with his sister and a leader of the party Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at a court in Surat in the western state of Gujarat, India, April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

AHMEDABAD (Reuters) - An Indian state lawmaker who accused main opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi of defamation has objected to his appeal in a higher court, according to a filing on Tuesday.

Gandhi, 52, lost his parliamentary seat last month after he was found guilty of defamation by a lower court in the western state of Gujarat for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi.