Delhi High Court to Hear PIL Seeking Cancellation of Rahul Gandhi’s Citizenship
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Wednesday, filed by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, which requests the Union Home Ministry to revoke the Indian citizenship of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The petition claims that Gandhi has “declared himself a British citizen.”
The case will be examined by a bench led by Chief Justice Manmohan, as indicated in the court’s published causelist. Previously, the bench, which includes Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, acknowledged that a similar petition is pending before the Allahabad High Court. The court has asked the Union government’s standing counsel to provide a copy of the petition and its status from the Allahabad HC.
During an earlier session, the Delhi High Court expressed its intention to avoid overlapping jurisdictions, stating, “We intend to doubly make sure that we do not usurp the other High Court’s jurisdiction.”
Swamy’s plea requests that the Home Ministry provide a status report regarding his previous complaint against Gandhi and expedite its resolution. The BJP leader has contended since 2019 that Gandhi violated regulations by disclosing his British nationality to the UK government, thereby ceasing to be an Indian citizen under Article 9 of the Constitution and the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955.
Swamy references a UK-based company, Backops Limited, which Gandhi was associated with as a director and secretary, claiming that Gandhi’s nationality was declared as British in official documents filed in 2005 and 2006.
The Union Home Ministry, in response to Swamy’s complaint, noted these declarations, stating that Gandhi’s details were included in the company’s annual returns and dissolution application, asserting his British nationality.
In his petition, Swamy expresses frustration over the lack of response from the Home Ministry regarding his representations and urges the court to direct the ministry to act on his complaint and provide a conclusive update.
