The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday sought a reply from the Union Home Ministry on a PIL which claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has British citizenship. The court asked the ministry to file its report in three weeks. The next hearing on the matter is on December 19, 2024. Petitioner S Vignesh Shishir said he has submitted all the documents and proofs to the court. “We are confident that whatever we have said will be found to be correct. The CBI has also investigated the matter, important evidence has been given. Gandhi also has British citizenship, 19 December is the next date, by then the Home Ministry will also have to file its reply,” he added.
CBI probe initiated on Gandhi citizenship issue, Delhi HC told
Earlier on November 6, the Delhi High Court was informed that a CBI probe had been initiated into Gandhi’s citizenship on a PIL being heard by the Allahabad High Court. When the petitioner, a Karnataka BJP worker, said he had moved a PIL in the Allahabad High Court, a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said it didn’t want any conflicting orders to be passed.
There cannot be two parallel petitions on the same cause of action, said the bench, permitting S Vignesh Shishir to file an affidavit on the relevant developments following his PIL in the Allahabad High Court.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s PIL in Delhi HC
The matter before the Delhi High Court was on a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy who sought directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to decide his representation seeking cancellation of Gandhi’s Indian citizenship.
Swamy, in his plea, also sought a direction to the MHA to furnish a status report on the representation filed by him against Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
While Swamy maintained that the matter before the Allahabad High Court had nothing to do with his case and the prayers were totally different, Shishir claimed Swamy’s plea had led to multiplicity and parallel proceedings.
The court asked Shishir to file an application for impleadment in the petition before it and listed the matter on December 6. According to Shishir, as the matter before the Allahabad High Court was at a “very advanced stage”.
“I also appeared before the CBI in this case and tendered my very confidential evidence with regard to this matter. The matter is currently under investigation by the CBI,” he submitted. “Various investigating agencies of the country are conducting the investigation. I have given my objections to the Delhi High Court registrar through an email,” added Shishir.
Earlier, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had asked the Centre whether it had taken any decision on Shishir’s representation filed under the Citizenship Act, 1955, asking it to inquire into the allegations.
Shishir claimed he had conducted “detailed enquiries” into Gandhi being a British citizen and received several new inputs. Swamy, on the other hand, claimed the Congress leader, being an Indian citizen, violated Article 9 of the Constitution, read with the Indian Citizenship Act, and would cease to be an Indian citizen. He said he had sent many representations to the ministry inquiring about the status of his complaint but neither any action was taken nor did he receive any intimation.
(With agencies inputs)
