In a setback for the former Congress president, the Gujarat High Court on Friday refused to stay the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case over "Modi surname", media reports said.

A Surat court has already sentenced Rahul to a two-year jail term.

As a result of the no stay on conviction, Rahul will continue to stand disqualified from Parliament's lower house Lok Sabha, where he was a member until removed for the verdict.

However, he is presently on bail.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign, Rahul had said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname."

A complaint, which was lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Purnesh Modi, had claimed Rahul had defamed the entire Modi community.

Following the disqualification, Rahul, who was an MP from Kerala's Wayanad, was also asked to vacate the government bungalow.