A petition that demanded a probe into Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship has been dismissed by the Supreme Court. The petition, which also wanted the court to debar the 48-year-old from contesting national elections, had argued that Rahul Gandhi was listed as a British citizen in a company report.
“Some company in some form has mentioned Rahul Gandhi as British citizen, so does he becomes British citizen? Dismissed”, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.
The Home Minsitry had earlier issued a notice to the Congress president to explain his position over complaints on his citizenship. The complaint has been filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy who has alleged that Gandhi is a British citizen.
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The home ministry said it had received a representation from Dr Subramanian Swamy in which it “has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9EH and that you were one of the directors and secretary of the said company.”
“It has been brought out in the complaint that in the complaint that in the company’s annual returns filed on 10/10/2005 and 31/10/2006, your date of birth has been given as 19/06/1970 and that you have declared your nationality as British. Further, in the dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above refereed company, your nationality has been mentioned as British,” says the letter from BC Joshi, director of citizenship, home ministry.
{{/usCountry}}“It has been brought out in the complaint that in the complaint that in the company’s annual returns filed on 10/10/2005 and 31/10/2006, your date of birth has been given as 19/06/1970 and that you have declared your nationality as British. Further, in the dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above refereed company, your nationality has been mentioned as British,” says the letter from BC Joshi, director of citizenship, home ministry.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress had dismissed the issue saying the notice was a political move by the BJP to divert the attention of the public from key issues. “The entire world knows Rahul Gandhi is Indian citizen by birth. Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, he has no answer for agrarian distress and black money, that’s why he’s resorting to fake narrative,” said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
The BJP had raised allegations of discrepancies in Rahul Gandhi’s nomination form for Amethi Lok Sabha seat. His nomination papers were found valid by the returning officer.
A petition was also filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court that wanted the judges to cancel Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership, claiming that the Congress leader had filed tax returns in London in which he was described as a British national.