The Centre informed the Allahabad High Court that a plea alleging Rahul Gandhi holds dual citizenship is “under process” and will be decided by December 19. The court was hearing a petition filed by S. Vignesh Shishir, who also requested a CBI investigation into the matter. The allegations question Gandhi’s eligibility for public office under citizenship laws.
New Delhi: The government informed the Allahabad High Court that it is currently reviewing the matter concerning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s alleged dual citizenship.
This follows a petition asserting that Gandhi holds British citizenship, which could lead to the revocation of his Indian citizenship.
The Allahabad High Court instructed the Union Home Ministry to decide on the representation filed by a citizen questioning Gandhi’s Indian citizenship.
A bench consisting of Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi directed the government to report on the outcome of this representation by December 19.
The interim order was issued in response to a plea from S. Vignesh Shishir, who has requested a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Gandhi’s citizenship status. The petitioner claims to have evidence suggesting that Gandhi possesses British citizenship.
During the hearing on November 25, Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey informed the court that the Central government has received the petitioner’s representation and is currently processing it. The bench adjourned the case, indicating that the outcome of the representation should be communicated to the court by the next hearing on December 19.
The November 25 order stated,
“List this matter on 19th of December, 2024. The outcome of the representation shall be apprised to the Court on the next date of listing.”
The petition recounts that in 2022, a VSS Sarma sought information regarding Gandhi’s citizenship from the British government. The petitioner alleged that Sarma shared confidential emails from the UK government suggesting Gandhi holds British citizenship.
However, the UK authorities reportedly declined to provide complete information due to data protection laws, requiring a signed letter of authority from Gandhi.
Previously, the High Court allowed the petitioner to withdraw a similar plea in July, granting him the option to pursue remedies under the Citizenship Act. After receiving no response to two representations submitted to the Union Home Ministry, Shishir returned to the High Court.
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While Shishir is seeking a CBI investigation, the court clarified that its current focus is solely on whether the Centre has received the representations and the action it intends to take regarding them.
A similar petition regarding Gandhi’s citizenship has been filed in the Delhi High Court by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who noted that the Delhi High Court would address the matter only after clarifying the status of the case in the Allahabad High Court.
Advocate S. Vignesh Shishir appeared in person, while advocates Anurag Kumar Singh, Kuldeep Srivastava, Kushagra Dikshit, and Vijay Vikram Singh represented the Central government.