The Delhi High Court directed the Centre to submit its stand on BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s petition, which seeks directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs to decide on the citizenship status of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
A bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the proxy counsel for the Centre to take instructions and provide a response.
The court had initially planned to issue notice on Swamy’s petition but was informed that the government’s former counsel in the case had been designated as a senior advocate.
As a result, the proxy counsel requested additional time to engage a new lawyer for the matter. The bench adjourned the hearing and posted it for January 13, 2025.
Swamy’s plea, filed by advocate Satya Sabharwal, revolves around a letter sent to the MHA on August 6, 2019. In the letter, Swamy alleges that Rahul Gandhi had “voluntarily disclosed” to the British government that he held British nationality, effectively implying that he held a British passport.
According to Swamy, this disclosure would mean that Gandhi had violated Article 9 of the Indian Constitution, which mandates that any Indian citizen who voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship will cease to be an Indian citizen.
Swamy further claimed that despite sending multiple representations to the MHA regarding the status of his complaint, no action had been taken, nor had he been informed about any developments.
The case now awaits further proceedings in January, as the Delhi High Court awaits a formal response from the Centre.
