The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench on Monday disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the Indian citizenship of Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi. The bench of Justices A.R. Masoodi and Rajiv Singh permitted the petitioner to pursue other legal remedies, noting that the Centre had not provided any timeline to resolve the matter.
The petitioner, S Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka, had approached the court alleging that Rahul Gandhi held British citizenship and was therefore ineligible to contest elections or remain a member of the Lok Sabha. He claimed to possess documents and email correspondence from the British government to support his assertion.
In previous hearings, the court was informed that the central government had written to UK authorities seeking clarification on the citizenship status of Gandhi. On April 21, the court had granted time until May 5 for the Centre to submit details regarding the petitioner’s representation, which sought cancellation of Rahul Gandhi’s 2024 Lok Sabha election on the basis of alleged dual citizenship.
During Monday’s hearing, the court observed that since the government had not specified any deadline for resolving the issue, there was no justification to keep the petition pending. Accordingly, it disposed of the matter and directed the petitioner to pursue alternate legal avenues if so advised.
The petitioner had earlier claimed that despite sending two complaints to the appropriate authority, no action was taken. In a prior hearing on November 25, 2024, the court had asked the Centre to submit its decision on the matter.
Deputy Solicitor General S.B. Pandey had submitted that the relevant ministry had already initiated communication with the UK government and further time was required to conclude the inquiry.
The court’s order effectively brings an end to the current proceedings while leaving the door open for further legal action by the petitioner.
