Centre Informs Allahabad HC of Representation Alleging Rahul Gandhi’s British Citizenship; Seeks More Time for Response

Keywords:Rahul Gandhi, British citizenship, PIL, Allahabad High Court, Citizenship Act 1955, UK government, CBI inquiry, S Vignesh Shishir, Section 9(2), Central Government.

On Monday, the Central Government informed the Allahabad High Court that it had received a representation under the Citizenship Act 1955, alleging that Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, holds British citizenship. The government’s statement came during a hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by S Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka.

Deputy Solicitor General of India S B Pandey requested additional time to provide the court with a detailed status report on the action taken concerning the representation. The high court bench, comprising Justices Rajan Roy and Om Prakash Shukla, had previously directed the Centre to update the court after the PIL asserted that no progress had been made by the government on this matter.

The court has set October 24 as the date for the next hearing.

In the PIL, the petitioner claims to have conducted thorough inquiries into Rahul Gandhi’s alleged British nationality and states that he has obtained confidential emails from the UK Government. According to Shishir, these emails reveal that the UK Government holds records of Gandhi’s British citizenship but has refused to release specific details due to privacy concerns under the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018. The PIL also seeks a CBI investigation into the allegations.

The petitioner emphasized that he had submitted a formal representation under Section 9(2) of the Citizenship Act, requesting the Central Government to investigate the matter. Despite this, no action has been taken thus far, prompting the filing of the PIL.

During the hearing, Pandey informed the court that the Ministry of Home Affairs acknowledged receipt of the representation. However, he requested more time to obtain written instructions regarding the status of the inquiry.

As the case unfolds, the court will await further updates from the Centre, and the petitioner’s request for a CBI probe adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing legal battle.

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