India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, restored the membership of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday after India’s Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a 2019 defamation case. Gandhi is a key figure in the Indian National Congress (INC), India’s main opposition political party.

After the news about parliament’s decision to restore him, several members of other political parties congratulated Gandhi. Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said, “I congratulate Rahul Gandhi and thank the Speaker for not delaying the restoration.” Fellow INC member Randeep Surjewala said that after Gandhi’s restoration, “the government will have to answer all the questions.”

Gandhi was charged with defamation against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019. During an election campaign that year, Gandhi asked “why all thieves have Modi as [their] common surname”. Gandhi has also clashed with Modi and the prime minister’s party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the response to ethnic violence in India’s Manipur state.

Indian law disqualifies candidates who are found guilty of election offenses such as “promoting enmity between two groups.” Yet Gandhi’s legal team insisted that the comments were simply meant to expose corruption in the country. Gandhi supporters say that the case exemplified Modi’s proclivity for intimidation tactics against opposition parties during his time in power.

The Supreme Court’s stay will allow Gandhi to contest a general election next year but does not overturn the conviction. Gandhi is reportedly seeking to overturn the conviction itself as a next legal step. BJP representatives say that the conviction was legitimate and that Gandhi was afforded full due process under the law.