A fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Allahabad High Court demanding the cancellation of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship. The plea also requests the court to impose a temporary ban on his foreign travel until the matter is resolved.
This new legal step has been taken by BJP member Vignesh Shishir. It comes just four days after the court disposed of his earlier PIL which sought a CBI inquiry into Gandhi's alleged foreign citizenship. The court, however, allowed Shishir the liberty to seek other legal remedies, especially since the Central Government couldn’t commit to a specific timeline for resolving the issue.
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“The petition urges the Union Government to cancel Rahul Gandhi's Indian passport and register a criminal case under Section 12 of the Passports Act, 1967 for allegedly submitting false information to obtain the passport.”
The court is expected to hear this PIL next week. In his application, Shishir has expressed concern that Rahul Gandhi might leave the country and seek asylum abroad if not restricted from international travel during the pendency of the case.
Previously, Shishir also approached the Chief Election Commissioner and other election officials, demanding the cancellation of Gandhi’s election certificate from the Raebareli constituency. He also urged for a CBI investigation into Gandhi's supposed British citizenship status.
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Apart from the court petitions, Shishir has submitted a detailed representation to the Ministry of Home Affairs, specifically to the Foreigners Division. His request is based on Section 9(2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, read with Rule 40(2) of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, and Schedule III of the 2009 Rules.
“Section 40 of the 2009 Rules empowers the Central Government to determine whether a citizen of India has acquired foreign citizenship.”
This action comes after a previous PIL on the same issue was withdrawn. The court had then given permission to the petitioner to pursue his case through proper channels under the law.
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In his new plea, Shishir claims he has gathered new evidence and inputs. He states that he also reached out to the UK government via emails seeking information on Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship records. He later got in touch with one VSS Sarma, who had earlier requested similar information from the UK authorities in 2022.
“According to the PIL, Sarma shared ‘confidential’ emails received from the UK Government indicating that records of Rahul Gandhi’s British nationality do exist.”
These claims have now formed the basis of the current PIL before the Allahabad High Court.
As the matter is scheduled for hearing, all eyes are on the court's decision and the Centre’s response to the allegations.
