The government informed the Allahabad High Court today that they are investigating a petition claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holds dual citizenship. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for December 19.
The situation originated from a request made by lawyer and BJP member Vignesh Shishir, who has also asked for a CBI investigation into Gandhi’s citizenship.
The person making the request claims that there is proof indicating that Gandhi is a British citizen, referencing emails reportedly acquired from the UK government during a previous investigation conducted by VSS Sarma.
As per the petitioner, Sarma reached out to UK authorities in 2022 to inquire about Gandhi’s citizenship status. Although the UK government confirmed some information, it refused to reveal all details due to data protection laws and the lack of a signed letter of authority from Gandhi.
On November 25, Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey informed the court that the petitioner’s representation had been received by the Union Home Ministry and was currently being processed. A bench consisting of Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi instructed the Centre to inform the court of its decision at the next hearing.
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The court specified that it is now only concerned with whether the Union government has received and taken action on the petitioner’s submissions, not on wider accusations or requests for an investigation.
The petition was withdrawn in July, allowing the petitioner to seek remedies under the Citizenship Act as granted by the court. The petitioner filed the plea because they did not receive a response to two representations sent to the Union Home Ministry.
The petitioner argues that according to the emails and accompanying materials, Gandhi’s British citizenship may make him ineligible for Indian citizenship according to Indian law.
be deprived of their fundamental rights except according to procedure established by law.
