Bihar Deputy Tejashwi Yadav on Friday expressed elation over the Supreme Court judgement staying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his Modi surname remark, paving the way for the revival of his Lok Sabha membership.

Yadav, whose RJD has been an ally of the Congress, expressed his delight through a tweet, in Hindi, ending with the Sanskrit saying: "Satyamev Jayate (Truth shall triumph)" and the hashtag "INDIA", denoting the recently formed coalition of parties opposed to the BJP.

"Honourable Supreme Court's judgement on Rahul Gandhi ji is commendable. But for this shock, the BJP's network thriving on slander would have continued with the conspiracy to eject many other opposition leaders from the legislature," Yadav tweeted. Incidentally, the RJD leader faces a CBI charge sheet in a land for jobs scam pertaining to a period of time when his father Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister, though he was then a minor.

The apex court judgement was also hailed by JD(U) of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who initiated the opposition unity drive after quitting the BJP-led NDA last year. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan tweeted: "Congratulations to Rahul Gandhi ji. The honourable Supreme Court judgement has proved that ultimately justice prevails. Salutations to the honourable Supreme Court for doing justice".

The top court stated a Gujarat High Court verdict which dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.? Former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi had filed a criminal defamation case in 2019 against Gandhi over his "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.

Besides Purnesh Modi, many other BJP leaders across the country filed defamation suits. One such case has been lodged here by former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi.