Allahabad HC Gives Centre 4 Weeks To Clarify On Rahul Gandhi’s Citizenship Status

Subramanian Swamy lodged a complaint with the Union Home Ministry in 2019, claiming that Rahul Gandhi had identified himself as a British citizen in documents submitted to British authorities.

File photo of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

Source : ANI

The Allahabad High Court has given the Centre four weeks to determine Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's citizenship status on Monday. The Lucknow bench, consisting of Justices AR Masoodi and Ajay Kumar Srivastava, heard a petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and scheduled the next hearing for April 21, when the Centre must submit a status report regarding Gandhi's citizenship.

According to a report by India Today, the Centre had requested eight weeks to file the report. In 2019, Swamy lodged a complaint with the Union Home Ministry, claiming that Rahul Gandhi had identified himself as a British citizen in documents submitted to British authorities. Swamy argued this violated the Indian Constitution and the Citizenship Act, as it suggested Gandhi held a British passport. 

Swamy also informed the court that the government had issued a show-cause notice to Gandhi, seeking clarification on his citizenship, but no response was received, and no further action was taken. The court instructed the Centre's counsel to update it on the status of the plea and the representation submitted to the ministry.

"The prayer is not to decide on the substantive issues of the pending matter, whether here or in Allahabad. He is only seeking directions on his representations. Seek instructions regarding the stage of the proceedings concerning the letter," the court said, as per the Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma.

Demands For CBI Probe Into Rahul Gandhi's Citizenship

This followed several months after the government had notified the Allahabad High Court about the petition accusing Congress Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi of holding dual citizenship was being looked into.

The submission of the Centre followed amid the court heard a plea registered by advocate and BJP leader Vignesh Shishir, who also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into Gandhi's citizenship.

The petitioner claimed there was evidence indicating that Gandhi held British citizenship, referencing emails that were allegedly obtained from the UK government during an earlier inquiry conducted by another individual, VSS Sarma. The petitioner stated that in 2022, Sarma had reached out to UK authorities to gather information about Gandhi's citizenship.

Although the UK government reportedly confirmed certain details, it refused to provide full information, citing data protection laws and the lack of a signed authorization letter from Gandhi.