Rahul Gandhi, a Congress Member of Parliament, has faced a major setback from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. The court has ordered the registration of an FIR against him concerning allegations of dual citizenship. This matter was discussed in a hearing today at the Lucknow bench. It is important to note that this ruling overturns a previous decision by a lower court that had dismissed the request to file an FIR against Gandhi.
The allegations suggest that Rahul Gandhi holds dual citizenship in India and the UK, prompting the High Court to mandate an investigation. Alongside the FIR, the Allahabad High Court has instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to either conduct the investigation themselves or delegate it to a central agency. This order was issued during the hearing of a petition filed by BJP worker S. Vignesh Shishir.
Challenge to Lower Court's Decision
The petitioner contested the January 28 ruling of the Special MP/MLA Court in Lucknow, which had rejected the request to file an FIR against Rahul Gandhi regarding the dual citizenship issue. The lower court stated that it lacked the authority to make decisions on matters related to citizenship.
Claims of the Petitioner
S. Vignesh Shishir from Karnataka claims to possess documents and emails from the British government indicating that Rahul Gandhi is also a British citizen. The petitioner has requested the FIR to be filed under various sections of the BNS, Official Secrets Act, Foreign Act, and Passport Act, along with a demand for a thorough investigation.
Shishir argues that if Rahul Gandhi is indeed a British citizen, he would be ineligible to contest elections in India. Notably, the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench has acknowledged that the serious allegations of dual citizenship against Rahul Gandhi warrant an investigation, which must be conducted by the Uttar Pradesh government or a central investigative agency.