Swamy alleges that Gandhi, an Indian national, may have violated Article 9 of the Indian Constitution and the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955, which strictly prohibits Indian citizens from holding dual citizenship. – Shekhar Singh
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has taken legal action by filing a petition in the Delhi High Court, questioning the citizenship status of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Swamy is urging the court to direct the Union Government to provide a status report on his longstanding complaint against Gandhi.
The controversy dates back to August 2019, when Swamy penned a letter to the Centre, accusing Gandhi of violating constitutional provisions by allegedly declaring himself a British citizen in documents submitted to the British Government. Swamy’s claims revolve around the assertion that Gandhi, an Indian national, may have violated Article 9 of the Indian Constitution and the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955, which strictly prohibits Indian citizens from holding dual citizenship.
According to Swamy, Gandhi’s involvement with a UK-based company, Backops Limited, which was registered in 2003, is at the heart of the issue. Swamy alleged that in the company’s annual returns for 2005 and 2006, Gandhi’s nationality was listed as British, raising serious questions about his Indian citizenship. “If he declared himself a British citizen, it could mean forfeiture of his Indian citizenship,” Swamy alleged.
In April 2019, the Central Government sent a notice to Gandhi titled “Complaint regarding citizenship,” seeking clarification on the matter. Despite this, Swamy contends that there has been no significant progress or resolution to his complaint. He has repeatedly requested updates from the government but claims that his inquiries have been met with silence.
Swamy’s petition, filed through Advocate Satya Sabharwal, requests that the Centre be directed to make a decision on his complaint without further delay and to issue a final order on the matter. The petition is expected to be heard in court next week.
It’s worth noting that in May 2019, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea to bar Rahul Gandhi from contesting the 2019 General Elections over the same citizenship issue. The court had questioned the basis of the allegations, with a judge reportedly remarking, “Just because a document mentions him as British, does it automatically make him a British citizen?”
Despite these previous rulings, Swamy remains adamant that the matter deserves a thorough investigation. “The government has been sitting on this for over five years,” Swamy emphasized. – The New Indian Express, 16 August 2024
› Shekhar Singh is a correspondent for The New Indian Express.
Filed under: india, UK | Tagged: article 9, british citizen, dual citizenship, indian nationality law, rahul gandhi |
