Justice-delivery system moves in mysterious ways, says P Chidambaram

Asserting that the justice-delivery system in India moves in "mysterious ways", senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday said that while a BJP MP from Etawah got a stay of his conviction in an assault case within days, it took Rahul Gandhi more than four months to get relief, that too from the Supreme Court.

Chidambaram's remarks came a day after Gandhi returned to the Lok Sabha, with his membership of the Lower House restored in the wake of the Supreme Court staying his conviction in a defamation case.

In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "Mr Ram Shanker Karheria MP (BJP) from Etawah was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for two years in a case where he was accused of 'assault'."

Within two-three days, he got a stay of the conviction from the first appellate court in Agra, the former Union minister said.

"Good for Mr Katheria. I have no comment," Chidambaram added.

"It took Mr Rahul Gandhi more than four months to get a stay of his conviction in a case of alleged defamation (slander) -- and that too from the Supreme Court," he said.

The justice-delivery system in India moves in mysterious ways, Chidambaram asserted.

A district court in Agra on Monday stayed Katheria's conviction in a 2011 case of assault on the staff of a private power firm for which he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment by a lower court.

An MP-MLA court on Saturday held the BJP MP from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh guilty of the charges he was accused of and sentenced him to two years in prison, besides imposing a penalty of Rs 50,000.

On Monday, announcing the reinstatement of Gandhi as an MP, a Lok Sabha Secretariat notification said that in the wake of the Supreme Court's August 4 order, the disqualification has ceased to operate, subject to further judicial pronouncements.