The Delhi High Court on Wednesday has granted BJP leader Subramanian Swamy additional time to submit a copy of a petition pending before the Allahabad High Court concerning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship.
Swamy informed the court that he had acquired the petition’s copy, noting that its prayers differ from his own.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, instructed Swamy to file the documents electronically as per its previous order and scheduled the next hearing for November 6.
Swamy’s plea requests directions for the Ministry of Home Affairs to decide on his representation seeking the cancellation of Gandhi’s Indian citizenship. He also asked the MHA to provide a status report on his complaint against Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
At the hearing, Swamy asserted that the ongoing case in the Allahabad High Court is unrelated to his own, emphasizing the differences in their prayers. The bench acknowledged this and remarked, “Okay, we will see.”
Previously, the Delhi High Court had highlighted the existence of a similar petition before the Allahabad High Court, stating that two courts cannot simultaneously address the same issue. The court deemed it necessary to understand the status of the pending petition in Allahabad before proceeding.
Swamy’s plea, represented by advocate Satya Sabharwal, cites a letter he sent to the MHA on August 6, 2019. In that letter, he alleged that Gandhi had “voluntarily disclosed” to the British government that he holds British nationality, implying that he possesses a British passport.
Earlier, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court inquired whether the Centre had made any decisions regarding a representation filed under the Citizenship Act, 1955, which sought an investigation into Gandhi’s citizenship status.
This inquiry stemmed from a public interest litigation filed by BJP worker S. Vignesh Shishir, who claimed to have gathered new information regarding Gandhi’s alleged British citizenship.
In his Delhi High Court plea, Swamy contends that Gandhi, as an Indian citizen, has violated Article 9 of the Constitution in conjunction with the Indian Citizenship Act, which could lead to him losing his Indian citizenship.
Swamy expressed frustration over his multiple inquiries to the MHA regarding his complaint, stating that he has received neither action nor updates on the matter.
