In a recent development, the Allahabad High Court has issued an order to the Union Home Ministry to address a petition aiming to revoke the Indian citizenship of Rahul Gandhi, a prominent figure in Indian politics, due to allegations of holding dual citizenship with Britain. The court’s directive came on Monday, November 25, as it responded to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by S Vignesh Shishir, a member of the BJP from Karnataka.
The Lucknow bench, consisting of Justices AR Masoodi and Subhash Vidyarthi, has instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to provide a detailed report by the next hearing scheduled for December 19. Deputy Solicitor General of India confirmed that the petitioner’s claims are currently under review by the MHA.
This legal inquiry follows an earlier action where the Delhi High Court was informed on November 6 that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had started investigating Gandhi’s citizenship status. This was initiated after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy petitioned for a thorough investigation into the matter, along with a demand for a status report on the action taken based on his allegations against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
In July, the court permitted Shishir to retract a similar plea, granting him the freedom to seek further legal recourse under the Citizenship Act. Shishir has since pursued this option by filing additional representations to the MHA. The focus of the Allahabad High Court, as stated in the proceedings, is primarily on whether the central government has officially received these representations and what steps it intends to take in response.
