LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench on December 17 ordered the transfer of a criminal case involving serious allegations against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Raebareli to Lucknow, citing grave security concerns, disruption of judicial proceedings, and threats to petitioner Vignesh Shishir. The order has raised critical questions over law and order, political interference, and the safety of litigants in politically sensitive cases.
Speaking to Organiser, Vignesh Shishir stated that the decision was made to transfer the case to the Lucknow bench because, during the last hearing, several Congress party supporters had stormed into the courtroom and disrupted the proceedings for almost an hour.
In what is being seen as a landmark order, the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench, has allowed the transfer of Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 3156/2025 against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi from the Special MP-MLA Court in Raebareli to the Special MP-MLA Court in Lucknow. The order was passed by a single bench of Justice Brij Raj Singh while hearing Transfer Application (Criminal) No. 119 of 2025 under Section 447 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
The Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench, has passed order in the case of Vignesh Shishir vs Rahul Gandhi, allowing the transfer of Criminal Misc Case No. 3156/2025 from the Special MP-MLA Court in Rae Bareli to the Special MP-MLA Court in Lucknow. A single bench of Justice Brij…
— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2025
The High Court accepted the plea filed by the complainant, S. Vignesh Shishir, who appeared as party-in-person, citing serious and credible threats to his life and repeated obstruction of court proceedings in Raebareli. The court took note of submissions pointing to the breakdown of law and order and interference in the administration of justice.
According to the petitioner, multiple incidents occurred on November 3 and December 5, 2025, when more than 200 advocates and Congress party supporters allegedly stormed the courtroom of the Special MP-MLA Court in Raebareli. The court proceedings were reportedly disrupted by sloganeering and protests, forcing the presiding judge to leave the courtroom. These incidents, the petitioner argued, made it impossible to conduct a fair and fearless hearing.
The High Court also recorded concerns regarding intelligence inputs indicating a pre-planned attack on the complainant during the scheduled hearing on December 12, 2025. The petitioner submitted that the threat was averted only due to the timely intervention by intelligence agencies. These developments, the court observed, raised serious questions about the safety of litigants and the sanctity of judicial proceedings.
The criminal case pertains to allegations regarding the British citizenship of Rahul Gandhi and seeks directions for registration of an FIR under multiple provisions of law, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Passports Act, 1946, the Foreigners Act, and the Official Secrets Act. The petitioner has claimed to possess documentary evidence obtained from the United Kingdom authorities, including records from UK Visa and Immigration, the UK Home Office, and passport-related documents.
Vignesh Shishir has maintained that the case involves serious violations of Indian law and requires impartial adjudication, free from political pressure or intimidation. He contended before the High Court that holding the proceedings in Raebareli—Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency—posed an inherent risk to his safety and to the independence of the trial.
Agreeing with these submissions, Justice Brij Raj Singh ordered that the matter be transferred to the Special MP-MLA Court in Lucknow, where the next hearing is scheduled for December 22.
