The Allahabad High Court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh Police to register a case and conduct an investigation into allegations that Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held dual citizenship.
The complaint, first raised in 2019, claims that while serving as a director of a London-based company, Backops Limited, annual returns filed in 2005 and 2006 disclosed Rahul Gandhi as a UK citizen and mentioned a London residential address.
The petitioner, BJP functionary Vignesh Shishir from Karnataka, had earlier approached the MP-MLA special court in Lucknow seeking an FIR and probe. The special court dismissed the plea in January, stating it did not have the authority to decide citizenship-related matters, after which Shishir appealed before the High Court.
During the hearing at the Lucknow bench, the petitioner said emails and documents purportedly sent by the UK government were placed for judicial consideration, and referred to Rahul Gandhi’s alleged admission during the 2004 Lok Sabha election about having a bank account at Barclays in London.
In its order, the High Court said a proper verification of the dual citizenship allegation was necessary and that an inquiry should be conducted under the Official Secrets Act, the Passport Act and the Foreigners Act. It directed UP Police to immediately register a case, adding that the state government may investigate or hand it over to central agencies such as the CBI.
