India's parliament, on Friday, disqualified the leader of the opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, a day after a magistrate's court jailed him for two years in a defamation case linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname.

This was revealed in a parliament notice, stating that Gandhi got disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha.

An Indian court has found opposition leader Rahul Gandhi guilty of defamation for a 2019 campaign trail remark implying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a criminal.

Gandhi, the leading face of the opposition Congress party, was sentenced to two years imprisonment but immediately granted bail after his lawyers announced their intention to appeal.

A close aide to Gandhi said the leader had already adhered with the court order and did not enter parliament on Friday during house proceedings.

Leaders of the Congress party said they were gearing up to file an appeal in a higher court.

"This battle will be fought both legally and politically," said Pawan Khera, the national spokesperson of the party.

"Rahul Gandhi will not stop from asking difficult questions and exposing crony capitalism and this government’s active role in promoting and protecting it," he said.

Modi's government has been widely accused of using the law to target and silence critics, alongside the case in the premier's home state of Gujarat, which is one of several lodged against his chief opponent in recent years.

The case stemmed from a remark made during the 2019 election campaign in which the 52-year-old had asked why all thieves have Modi as (their) common surname.