Fresh trouble for Rahul Gandhi as Allahabad HC orders FIR in ‘dual citizenship’ case
Hearing a petition filed by BJP worker S Vignesh Shishir, a resident of Karnataka, the Lucknow Bench said the nature of the allegations warrants investigation
The Allahabad High Court on Friday directed the registration of an FIR against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in connection with an alleged dual citizenship controversy. The court also observed that after the registration of the FIR, the state government may seek the assistance of a central agency to investigate the matter.
Hearing a petition filed by BJP worker S Vignesh Shishir, a resident of Karnataka, the Lucknow Bench said the nature of the allegations warrants investigation, setting aside a January 28 order of a special MP/MLA court in Lucknow which had declined to order registration of an FIR.
The trial court had earlier held that it was not competent to examine issues related to citizenship. The high court, however, observed that the allegations required scrutiny through a proper investigative process.
The petitioner has sought registration of an FIR and a detailed probe under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act. He has claimed to possess documents, including alleged emails linked to the British government, to assert that Rahul is a British citizen and, therefore, ineligible to contest elections or continue as a member of the Lok Sabha.
The complaint was initially filed before a special MP/MLA court in Rae Bareli and later transferred to Lucknow by the High Court on December 17, 2025. After the Lucknow court dismissed his plea, the petitioner approached the high court again.
Reacting to the order on X, Shishir termed the development a “landmark” and said the court had directed registration of an FIR at the Kotwali police station in Rae Bareli. He expressed gratitude to the court and claimed the proceedings would bring out the truth in the interest of national security and public interest.
In subsequent posts, he said documents placed before the court included what he described as “top secret records” cleared for production, and alleged that facts relating to the citizenship issue had remained concealed for years. He said that he would pursue the case to its conclusion and seek legal action in accordance with law. (with PTI inputs)
