Dual citizenship allegation: Allahabad high court directs UP govt to lodge FIR against Rahul Gandhi
The petition seeking registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for alleged British Citizenship was taken up by the Allahabad high court's Lucknow bench.
Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Friday directed the state government to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Rae Bareli, in connection with a petition regarding his citizenship.
Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh at the Parliament premises during the special Budget Session (2026-27) of Parliament, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI)
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The court of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi passed the final order after taking up Karnataka-based Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker S Vignesh Shishir’s petition seeking registration of the FIR against Rahul Gandhi due to alleged British citizenship.
Senior advocate SB Pandey, the assistant solicitor general of India who represented the Union government in court, said: “The high court has directed to lodge an FIR against Gandhi in the citizenship case.”
As the matter concerns the citizenship of a foreign country, central agencies may also probe the case, Pandey added.
The high court is yet to upload the order on its website.
The petitioner had sought quashing of an order passed by the Special MP-MLA court in Lucknow on January 28, which had rejected a request to direct the authorities concerned to register an FIR against Gandhi.
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Those present in court on Friday included S Vignesh Shishir, state government advocate VK Singh, assistant solicitor general of India SB Pandey, and advocate Anand Dwivedi, representing the Union government.
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Those present in court on Friday included S Vignesh Shishir, state government advocate VK Singh, assistant solicitor general of India SB Pandey, and advocate Anand Dwivedi, representing the Union government.
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While rejecting Shishir’s plea on January 28, the special MP-MLA Court (Lucknow) had stated that it did not have jurisdiction to decide on the citizenship issue. Seeking registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi and a detailed investigation, the petitioner levelled charges against the Congress leader under the Indian Penal Code, the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.
The complaint was initially filed in the Special MP-MLA Court in Rae Bareli. Later, on the complainant's application, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court transferred the case from Rae Bareli to Lucknow on December 17, 2025.
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The Lucknow special court dismissed the plea on January 28. The petitioner subsequently challenged this order in the high court.
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commission
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