Here's what German foreign ministry said on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

They said they have taken note of the verdict and expect the standard of "judicial independence" and "democratic principles" to be followed

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Parliament, Germany's foreign ministry on Thursday said that they have taken note of the verdict and expect the standard of "judicial independence" and "democratic principles" to be followed when Gandhi's team appeals against it.

"We have taken note of the verdict of first instance against Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate," the ministry said in a press briefing.

"To our knowledge, Mr Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict. It will then become clear whether this verdict will stand and whether the suspension of his mandate has any basis," the ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

Germany expects that "standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles" will equally apply to the proceedings against Rahul Gandhi," the spokesperson added.

Following that, in a tweet, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh thanked the German foreign ministry for "taking note of how the Democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi".

Sharing a screenshot of Digivijaya Singh's tweet, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Thank you Rahul Gandhi for inviting foreign powers for interference in India's internal matters."

"Remember, the Indian Judiciary can't be influenced by foreign interference. India won't tolerate 'foreign influence' anymore because our Prime Minister is:- Shri @narendramodi Ji," Rijiju said.

Hitting back at Rijiju, Congress' media department head Pawan Khera said, "Rijiju, why divert from the main issue? The issue is that the Prime Minister cannot answer Rahul Gandhi's questions about Adani."

Instead of "misleading" people, please answer the questions, Khera said.

Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha on March 23 after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case.

Earlier this week, a US state department official had said the United States is watching the court case of Rahul Gandhi. The official observed that the US continues to engage with India on the shared commitment towards democratic principles and the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression.

(With agency inputs)