A new development has come to the fore with regards to the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi as the UK government has shared his passport details with the Government of India and Ministry of Home Affairs. This development has come in pursuance to the filing of the review petition in the Rahul Gandhi British Citizenship and Lok Sabha Election Cancellation Case before the Allahabad High Court at Lucknow Bench on 11/07/2025 as per Orders of Allahabad High Court at Lucknow Bench in previous Rahul Gandhi Passport Cancellation Case WPIL No 471/ 2025.
As per the petitioner S Vignesh Shishir, now the United Kingdom Government has shared the details of Rahul Gandhis British Passport and all United Kingdom Citizenship Details to Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Citizenship Wing, New Delhi.
S Vignesh Shishir, member, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has filed an RTI Application seeking Copy of the United Kingdom / British Passport of Rahul Gandhi and all details of the correspondences between the Government of India and Government of United Kingdom which has been carried out by Government of India based on the Orders of Allahabad High Court at Lucknow Bench in PIL No 831/ 2024.
Very interesting development that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandh is British Citizenship will be shared to the Petitioner S Vignesh Shishir, Member, Bharatiya Janata Party for being produced before the Allahabad High Court at Lucknow Bench for the purpose of evidence in the Rahul Gandhi British Citizenship and Election Cancellation Case.
Click here to download the directive of the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench
Background of the Rahul Gandhi Citizenship Case
The long-standing controversy surrounding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s alleged British citizenship had gained fresh momentum recently as the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow bench) reopened the case following the submission of new evidence by petitioner S. Vignesh Shishir. This development reignited a complex legal and political battle that questions Gandhi’s eligibility to hold public office in India, a nation that does not recognize dual citizenship.
The case, which had seen its share of twists and turns, including an earlier dismissal by the High Court, has been propelled back into the spotlight by what the petitioner claims are compelling new documents and videos. These pieces of evidence, reportedly sourced from London, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan, purport to shed further light on Gandhi’s citizenship status and have been presented to the court.
The roots of this legal challenge trace back to allegations that Rahul Gandhi, while serving as a director of a UK-based company, Backops Limited, had declared himself a British citizen. Petitioner S Vignesh Shishir, a resident of Karnataka, initially brought this claim forward, arguing that such a declaration would render Gandhi ineligible to contest elections in India under the Election Commission’s rules and would warrant the cancellation of his Indian citizenship under Section 9(2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The High Court’s involvement in this matter has been ongoing for several months. On December 19, 2024, a bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Om Prakash Shukla instructed Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Suryabhan Pandey to obtain details from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding the allegations.
Subsequently, the MHA’s Citizenship Wing dispatched a formal request to the British Government, via the Indian Embassy in London, seeking comprehensive details about Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship and passport.
The Union government, through the MHA, has repeatedly sought extensions to furnish a conclusive report, citing an “ongoing comprehensive investigation.” This delay had previously led the Lucknow bench to dismiss Shishir’s Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on May 14, 2025, observing that the petition could not remain pending indefinitely without a decisive report from the Centre. At that time, the court had granted the petitioner the liberty to pursue other legal avenues if necessary and directed that any report received from the MHA be shared with the petitioner and filed in court.
It is this very provision that allowed S. Vignesh Shishir to file the current review petition. According to Shishir, the UK Government has now provided the requested citizenship information to Indian authorities, and he has been duly notified of this development. The submission of these new documents, alongside the alleged confirmation from British authorities, has provided the necessary grounds for the Allahabad High Court to reconsider the case.
Adding another layer of complexity and seriousness to the investigation, the case is currently under scrutiny by the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch-II in New Delhi. This indicates the gravity with which the matter is being treated by central agencies, given the allegations of violation of constitutional oath and the submission of a misleading election manifesto by allegedly withholding information regarding foreign citizenship. The involvement of the CBI suggests a deeper probe into the veracity of the claims and any potential legal ramifications.
During a hearing on April 21, 2025, ASG Suryabhan Pandey had submitted a status report on behalf of the Centre. However, the court found this report “inadequate” and expressed its impatience with the delays in what it deemed a “nationally significant matter.” The court had then issued a stern directive, allowing the Central Government just 10 days to clarify Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship status. It was also noted that no legal representation had appeared on behalf of Rahul Gandhi during these proceedings, a point that has raised eyebrows in political circles.
The broader implications of this case are significant. Indian law prohibits dual citizenship, and if the allegations of British citizenship are proven, it could have serious consequences for Rahul Gandhi’s political career, including his eligibility to be a Member of Parliament. The petitioner has consistently argued that dual citizens are not eligible to contest elections in India, making this a pivotal legal challenge.
It’s also worth noting that a similar petition challenging Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2019. Then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had remarked that merely being listed as a British citizen by a company did not, in itself, constitute proof of British citizenship. However, the current review petition by S. Vignesh Shishir, armed with what he describes as “new videos and documents reportedly obtained from London, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan,” aims to present more direct and conclusive evidence than what was previously available or considered.
