The CBI has launched an investigation into Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship, the Delhi High Court was informed on November 6. The case arises from a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) currently being examined by the Allahabad High Court, filed by a BJP worker.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela stated they wanted to avoid issuing conflicting orders, stressing that there should not be two parallel petitions on the same matter. The bench then permitted S. Vignesh Shishir to file an affidavit outlining the developments in the Allahabad High Court regarding his PIL.
The case before the Delhi High Court involves a petition by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to respond to his representation requesting the revocation of Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship. Swamy also sought a status report from the MHA regarding his complaint against Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Swamy contended that the case before the Allahabad High Court was unrelated to his petition, as the issues were distinct. However, Shishir disagreed, arguing that Swamy’s case resulted in duplicative and parallel proceedings.
“I am the petitioner in the Allahabad High Court case, which was heard on October 24. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has received instructions regarding my representation, and following that, I appeared before the CBI and provided confidential evidence. The investigation is currently ongoing. Given that proceedings in the Allahabad High Court are at an advanced stage, this petition before the Delhi High Court is resulting in multiple litigations across different cities. I have also submitted my objections to the Delhi High Court,” Shishir stated.
The court directed Shishir to file an application for inclusion in the Delhi petition and scheduled the next hearing for December 6. Swamy distinguished between the two cases, explaining that while Shishir’s petition sought criminal prosecution, his own case only argued that Gandhi was not an Indian citizen but instead a “citizen of Britain.”
