LUCKNOW: Adding a new dimension to the public interest petition concerning Rahul Gandhi’s alleged British citizenship, petitioner S. Vignesh Shishir has filed a review petition in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. He has submitted new videos and documents reportedly obtained from London, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan.
Previously, on 14 May 2025, the High Court had directed the Central Government to act on the matter. In response, the Citizenship Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs sent a formal request to the British Government via the Indian Embassy, seeking details about Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship and passport.
According to the petitioner, the UK Government has since provided the requested citizenship information to Indian authorities, and the petitioner has been notified accordingly.
The case is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch-II in New Delhi.
Rahul Gandhi is facing allegations of violating his constitutional oath and submitting a misleading election manifesto by allegedly withholding information regarding foreign citizenship.
The petition also includes the Election Commission, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department, Raebareli Returning Officer, and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as respondents. The Lucknow bench had earlier dismissed the case due to the Centre’s failure to submit a conclusive report on Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship status. At that time, the court had observed that the petition could not remain pending indefinitely and had allowed the petitioner to approach another legal forum if necessary. It had also directed that any report received be shared with the petitioner and filed in court.
Following this development, petitioner Vignesh filed a review petition.
During the 21 April 2025 hearing, Additional Solicitor General Suryabhan Pandey submitted a status report on behalf of the Centre. However, the court deemed it inadequate and emphasised that delays in this nationally significant matter would not be tolerated. The court directed the Central Government to clarify Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship status within 10 days. Notably, no legal representation appeared on behalf of Rahul Gandhi during the proceedings.
Petitioner Vignesh Shishir, a resident of Karnataka, had initially claimed that Rahul Gandhi had declared himself a British citizen while serving as a director of a UK-based company. Referring to the Election Commission’s rules, he argued that dual citizens are not eligible to contest elections in India. He demanded that Gandhi’s Indian citizenship be cancelled under Section 9(2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The matter was last heard on 24 March 2025, where a division bench comprising Justice A.R. Masoodi and Justice Ajay Kumar Srivastava directed the state government to file a status report within four weeks. However, the government sought an eight-week extension, and the next hearing was scheduled for 21 April.
Earlier, on 19 December 2024, a bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Om Prakash Shukla had instructed ASG Suryabhan Pandey to obtain details from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministry subsequently informed the court that a letter had been dispatched to the UK Government seeking clarification on Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship.
The Union of India requested additional time, citing an ongoing comprehensive investigation, with a report expected within eight weeks.
Notably, the Supreme Court had dismissed a similar petition in 2019. Then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had remarked that if a company listed Rahul Gandhi as a British citizen, it did not, in itself, prove British citizenship.
