New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned a Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker from Karnataka and complainant in Rahul Gandhi citizenship controversy, S Vignesh Shishir, as it is investigating the matter from the foreign funding aspect, people familiar with the development said on Saturday.
Shishir, officials said, has been called to Delhi on September 9 to depose before the agency sleuths and share any documents in his possession.
An officer, who didn’t want to be named, said the federal financial crimes probe agency had launched a foreign exchange management act (FEMA) probe linked to Rahul Gandhi citizenship matter about four years ago but Shishir has been summoned for the first time.
In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed before the Allahabad high court, Shishir had claimed that he has documents and some emails of the British government which prove that Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is a British citizen and due to that he is ineligible to contest elections in India and, hence, cannot hold the post of a Lok Sabha member.
Officials cited above said that the Centre has already written to the British authorities in this regard.
{{/usCountry}}Officials cited above said that the Centre has already written to the British authorities in this regard.
{{/usCountry}}The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on August 28 had ordered a round-the-clock security to be provided for Shishir by the Union government.
In its interim order, the bench observed - “We are prima facie satisfied that the matter required consideration as the petitioner has been pursuing his cases against a very powerful individual and is facing constant threats and has to appear before the investigating officer at police station Kotwali, District Raebareli in pursuance of notice issued to him.”
Shishir had submitted to the highi court that on his complaint, moved in June 2024, a probe was underway by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and he claimed that he had appeared before the agency (CBI) in Delhi on multiple occasions furnishing evidence of Gandhi’s alleged British citizenship. CBI has not said anything on the matter.
The matter has been posted for October 9 by the high court.