The Delhi High Court, presided over by Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, granted BJP leader Subramanian Swamy additional time to present documents related to a similar case pending before the Allahabad High Court concerning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship. The court has scheduled further hearing for November 6.
During the proceedings, Swamy informed the court that he had acquired the necessary petition copy from the Allahabad High Court and pointed out that the legal issues and prayers detailed in that petition differ significantly from those in his own plea. The Delhi High Court had previously directed Swamy to submit these documents in electronic form to ensure compliance with its last order.
Swamy’s legal challenge seeks directives for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to address his representation, which calls for the cancellation of Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship. This plea also includes a request for the MHA to provide a status report concerning the representation made against Gandhi, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Highlighting the uniqueness of his case, Swamy argued that the matter before the Allahabad High Court is unrelated to his plea, stressing the differences in the prayers involved. The Delhi bench acknowledged his submission with a brief “okay we will see.”
This case has been complicated by the existence of a similar petition in the Allahabad High Court. The Delhi High Court previously noted that both courts addressing the same issue simultaneously would be impractical and sought to understand the proceedings in Allahabad before moving forward.
The context of Swamy’s allegations dates back to a 2019 correspondence with the MHA, wherein he claimed that Rahul Gandhi had voluntarily declared British nationality to the UK government, which could potentially conflict with Indian citizenship laws. These allegations have triggered inquiries at various judicial levels, including a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Allahabad High Court filed by BJP worker S Vignesh Shishir from Karnataka, further complicating the legal landscape.
