What’s your stand on Subramanian Swamy’s plea over Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship? Delhi HC asks Centre

Delhi Excessive Court docket requested the Centre to tell its stand on BJP chief Subramanian Swamy’s plea in search of instructions to the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs to resolve over Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship. File
| Photograph Credit score: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Delhi Excessive Court docket on Friday (December 6, 2024) requested the Centre to tell its stand on BJP chief Subramanian Swamy’s plea in search of instructions to the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs to resolve over Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship.

A bench of Appearing Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela orally requested the proxy counsel for the Central authorities to take directions from the authorities involved within the matter.

“We wish to have the help of the counsel from the state earlier than we go any order,” the Bench mentioned.

The Court docket, which was initially inclined to problem a discover on the petition, was knowledgeable by the Centre’s proxy counsel that the lawyer who earlier represented the federal government within the matter was designated as a senior advocate. He due to this fact sought a while for a brand new counsel to be engaged within the case.

As Mr. Swamy urged the courtroom to problem discover on his plea, the bench mentioned, “We are going to see what their (Centre) stand is and can then search their response if we wish.” The bench posted the listening to on January 13, 2025.

Mr. Swamy’s plea, filed by advocate Satya Sabharwal, mentioned on August 6, 2019, a letter was despatched to the Ministry alleging Mr. Gandhi had “voluntarily disclosed” to the British authorities that he was a citizen of British nationality, amounting to holding a British passport.

Mr. Swamy due to this fact mentioned the Congress chief, being an Indian citizen, violated Article 9 of the Structure, learn with the Indian Citizenship Act, and would stop to be an Indian citizen.

He claimed to have made a number of representations to the ministry inquiring concerning the standing of his criticism however neither was any motion taken nor was he intimated about it.

Throughout Friday’s (December 6, 2024) listening to, Karnataka BJP employee S Vignesh Shishir, who has filed a petition within the Allahabad Excessive Court docket on the difficulty of Gandhi’s citizenship, apprised the courtroom of the case’s developments there.

Shishir was beforehand permitted by the Delhi Excessive Court docket to file an impleadment utility and affidavit mentioning the developments happening in pursuance to the PIL filed by him within the Allahabad Excessive Court docket.

Whereas Mr. Swamy has maintained that the matter pending earlier than Allahabad Excessive Court docket had nothing to do together with his case, and the prayers had been completely completely different, Shishir claimed Swamy’s plea was resulting in multiplicity and parallel proceedings.