Germany reacts to Rahul's case just after Jaishankar said no foreign diplomats raised it

Hours after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar claimed on Wednesday that no foreign diplomat has raised with him the issue of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha, Germany has responded to the issue. 

During a press briefing, the German foreign ministry spokesperson said the country has taken note of the verdict of the first instance against Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate. 

"To our knowledge, Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict. It will then become clear whether the verdict will stand and whether the suspension of his mandate has any basis. We expect that the standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will equally apply to the proceedings against Rahul Gandhi," the spokesperson said. 

The comments in Germany were aired by public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and shared on Twitter by Richard Walker who is the chief international editor of DW.

This was the first response by Germany or any other European country in the case of Gandhi.

Interestingly, Germany's response came immediately Jaishankar replied in the negative to a question about whether any of his diplomatic counterparts had raised the issue with him. 

"Gandhi's disqualification as a member of Lok Sabha happened as he refused to express regret about the disparaging remarks he made against a community at a public meeting four years ago. The law is the law, unless somebody thinks that the law is not for them," Jaishankar said during a summit of Network18 on Wednesday. 

On how he would explain the issue to his counterparts abroad, Jaishankar said: "Four years ago Rahul Gandhi was disparaging of a community in a public meeting. It is on public record. A member of that community took offence and began legal proceedings," Jaishankar said, on how he would explain the issue to his counterparts abroad.

Two days ago, the US reacted to Rahul's disqualification, stating that they were watching the case. 

US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the US engages with the Indian government on a shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of expression. "Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy, and we're watching Mr Gandhi's (Rahul Gandhi) case in Indian courts," Patel said on Monday.