A Delhi court is set to pronounce its order on Thursday at 4 pm regarding a criminal complaint filed against Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
The complaint accuses her of using forged documents to enroll herself in the voters’ list before she obtained Indian citizenship.
The case was heard before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Vaibhav Chaurasiya, who reserved the order on Wednesday after listening to arguments and raising questions to the complainant’s counsel, advocate Vikas Tripathi. Senior advocates Pavan Narang and Anil Soni, along with Neeraj and Himanshu Sethi, appeared for the complainant.
Allegations Of Irregular Voter Enrollment
The petition claims that Gandhi’s name was improperly included in the New Delhi parliamentary constituency voter list during 1980-81, despite not being an Indian citizen at the time. “The first threshold to be enrolled as a voter is acquiring Indian citizenship. The second is proof of residence. In January 1980, she was not a citizen of India. How then could her name be included in the electoral rolls?” argued Narang.
The complaint further points out that Gandhi’s name was removed from the rolls in 1982 and reappeared in 1983, shortly before she acquired Indian citizenship. This, the petitioners allege, indicates attempts to circumvent legal requirements and mislead public authorities.
Citizenship Timeline & Legal Concerns
According to the complaint, Sonia Gandhi, originally an Italian national, became an Indian citizen on April 30, 1983, under Section 5 of the Citizenship Act. Yet, her name appeared in electoral records from 1981-82, raising concerns about the authenticity of documents submitted to the Election Commission.
Narang contended that “a public authority was misled, and a fraud appears to have been committed,” suggesting that forged or falsified documents may have been used to secure her voter registration. He further submitted that despite repeated approaches to the Delhi Police and senior officials, no action was taken, forcing the complainant to seek judicial intervention.
The petition references a 1985 Allahabad High Court judgment in Rakesh Singh vs Sonia Gandhi, which acknowledged her citizenship acquisition date as April 30, 1983. The present plea argues that any voter enrollment before this date was illegal.
During the hearing, Narang emphasised that the matter is a legal issue, not a political one. He asserted that the allegations constitute a cognizable offence, warranting police investigation.
Awaiting Court’s Decision
The court had earlier noted that arguments from the petitioner’s side were concluded and scheduled the next hearing for September 10. With the order now reserved, the judiciary’s decision later today will determine whether a formal criminal investigation into the allegations will move forward.
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