The PIL had alleged that because of this, he is not qualified to be a Member of Parliament under Article 84(A) of the Indian Constitution, which mentions the conditions for eligibility to contest Lok Sabha elections.
Allahabad: 5th May, The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that had claimed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holds citizenship of both India and the United Kingdom (UK).
The PIL had alleged that because of this, he is not qualified to be a Member of Parliament under Article 84(A) of the Indian Constitution, which mentions the conditions for eligibility to contest Lok Sabha elections.
The petition, filed in the Lucknow Bench, claimed that “Rahul Gandhi is also a citizen of the United Kingdom and is ineligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha.”
It further stated that “Gandhi’s alleged citizenship of another country contravenes with Indian law, which does not permit dual citizenship.”
In an earlier hearing, the High Court had asked the Central Government to explain what actions had been taken so far on this issue. The court gave the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) 10 days to submit a detailed response.
However, the court was not happy with the report submitted by the MHA. It said that the report failed to directly address whether Gandhi is an Indian citizen or not.
The court had “expressed dissatisfaction with the status report by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to directly address whether Gandhi is an Indian citizen.”
During the hearing, the MHA told the court that it needed more time to verify information from the UK government.
This is not the first time such allegations have been made. In 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs had sent a notice to Rahul Gandhi. This was based on a complaint by Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, who claimed that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the UK in 2003, and Gandhi was linked to it.
Previously Allahabad High Court Gave 4-Week Deadline to Home Ministry
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Mar 24 made an important decision about Congress leader and Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi.
The court has given the Union Home Ministry a time of four weeks to take a final decision on Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship issue. Earlier, the Home Ministry had asked for more time – around eight weeks, which means till April 21 – to look into the matter and decide. But the court did not agree with this request and rejected it.
This matter about Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship is not new. People have been talking about this topic for many years now. Rahul Gandhi has been a Member of Lok Sabha since the year 2004. He is also the Leader of the Opposition in the current Parliament. But still, questions are being raised on whether he is truly an Indian citizen or not.
This present case is connected to a petition that was filed by a private person from Karnataka. That person has said in the petition that Rahul Gandhi is not an Indian citizen. The person claims that Rahul Gandhi actually has British citizenship.
If this is true, then Rahul Gandhi cannot take part in Indian elections or hold any public position in the Indian government. The reason is that only Indian citizens can become Members of Parliament or take part in politics officially in India.
The main reason behind the petition is a claim that Rahul Gandhi had once written in some official documents that he is a citizen of the United Kingdom (UK). Because of this, some people believe that he may not be a citizen of India anymore. However, Rahul Gandhi and his party, the Indian National Congress, have always denied these allegations and said that he is 100% Indian.
In the past also, this same issue has come up many times. But no final legal decision has been made on it till now. Now, with the Allahabad High Court giving a deadline of four weeks to the Home Ministry, the matter has become more serious and time-bound. Everyone is now waiting to see what the Home Ministry will decide.
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In legal terms, citizenship is a very serious matter. If a person is found to have taken citizenship of another country, then he or she may lose their Indian citizenship automatically. Indian law does not allow dual citizenship.
This means a person cannot be a citizen of India and another country at the same time. So if the Home Ministry finds that Rahul Gandhi has accepted British citizenship, then it can create a big problem for him legally and politically.
The High Court has made it clear that the decision must be taken soon and not be delayed any further. It is important for the public and the country to know the truth.
