NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday postponed the hearing of a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking the revocation of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship. The court deferred the matter, noting that a similar petition is under consideration by the Allahabad High Court.
The Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, highlighted the impropriety of two High Courts addressing the same issue simultaneously. “It will not be proper for two courts to simultaneously hear the same matter,” ACJ Manmohan remarked, addressing Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Apoorv Kurup.
The court requested the status of the plea pending before the Allahabad High Court, asking the councel to provide details. The case will be reviewed again on October 9, after further clarification.
Swamy’s petition, filed in 2019, claims that Gandhi was registered as a British national in company documents from Backops Limited, a UK-based company. Swamy argues that Gandhi’s declaration as a British citizen violates Article 9 of the Indian Constitution and the Citizenship Act of 1955.
The Allahabad High Court is handling a parallel petition filed by S Vignesh Shishir, which calls for a CBI probe into Gandhi’s citizenship status. Like Swamy, Shishir alleges that Gandhi holds British nationality.