Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is preparing to appeal against his conviction and jail sentence in a criminal defamation case today.
He was sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Gujarat state for 2019 comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname at an election rally.
The conviction was followed by his disqualification from the parliament.
Opposition leaders have accused the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of a political vendetta. The BJP has denied this, saying that due judicial process was followed in the case.
National elections are due in India next year, and Gandhi will not be allowed to contest until his sentence is suspended or he is acquitted in the case.
BBC reported that Gandhi will appear at the court in Surat city with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other top Congress leaders later this afternoon.
Many Congress workers gathered outside the court in support of Gandhi, holding banners with the words "save democracy" on them. A senior police official told ANI news agency that a large number of police personnel have been deployed in Surat.
