The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted the Central Government an eight-week extension to finalize its investigation into allegations against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi concerning his purported dual British citizenship. The court set March 24 as the deadline for the government to report its findings regarding a plea that seeks to annul Gandhi’s 2024 Parliamentary election.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Jaspreet Singh, responded to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by S Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka. The petitioner alleges that Gandhi concealed his British citizenship, which would render him ineligible to contest elections in India.
Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey, representing the central government, informed the court that additional time was required to correspond with the United Kingdom government for confirmation of Gandhi’s citizenship status. This follows a directive from the court on November 25, requesting the government to expedite its review of the petitioner’s claims.
Shishir’s PIL claims possession of documents and emails purportedly linking Rahul Gandhi to British citizenship. The petitioner has previously lodged complaints with the relevant authorities regarding Gandhi’s citizenship status, which he argues were not adequately addressed, prompting the legal action.
