LUCKNOW: The dual citizenship case of Rahul Gandhi took a step forward after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court reviewed the documents and evidence submitted by petitioner Vignesh Shishir and stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs be impleaded in the case.
The hearing of the case in which petitioner Vignesh Shishir has stated that an FIR must be filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for misleading the nation by hiding his British nationality. Vignesh has informed the court that Rahul Gandhi had also cast a vote in the UK Elections. Also, Shishir had previously told the court that Rahul Gandhi held a British passport.
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In the wake of the latest developments, two senior officials from the Citizenship Wing, Foreigners Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, arrived from New Delhi with the files related to Rahul Gandhi’s British Citizenship Case.
While speaking to Organiser, Shishir confirmed that Allahabad HC (Lucknow Bench) perused the Home Ministry’s records & has seen all the top-secret files on Rahul Gandhi right from his date of birth, that is, June 6, 1970, onwards till date, and has taken note in detail of all his foreign trips.
Meanwhile, in support of his claim, Shishir had submitted the necessary documents and video evidence to the court. Earlier in January, the court heard the case on a day-to-day basis. However, when the case was being heard in the MP-MLA Court, supporters of the Congress party disrupted the hearing, and the case was transferred to the Lucknow bench. Later, the judge, after hearing the case, stated that he was not authorised to adjudicate cases involving an individual’s citizenship.
Shishir, while presenting the case in court, repeatedly said that a proper probe should be conducted, as Rahul Gandhi has furnished false information all these years. He has been an MP since 2004 and has taken the oath of office. Also, documents have been submitted to the court that clearly state that Rahul Gandhi was a director of one of the companies and that he was a British citizen.
Meanwhile, keeping in mind the sensitivity related to the case and the likely political impact, senior advocate S B Pandey, appearing for the Centre urged the bench of Justice Rajiv Singh that the hearing of the case should not take place in the open court owing to the high confidentiality of the documents which the court had received from the official of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The hearing in the Rahul Gandhi dual-citizenship case took place in the judge’s chamber, not in open court. The in-camera recording of the case was done, and after hearing the matter, the court directed Under Secretary Vivek Mishra and Assistant Section Officer Pranav Rai from the Home Ministry to appear with the concerned records. Once the documents were examined, they were returned to Under Secretary Vivek Mishra. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 6, 2026.
