Subramanian Swamy Says Rahul Gandhi is a British Citizen, Asks Delhi High Court to Cancel His Indian Citizenship

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has once again knocked on the door of the Delhi High Court raising the issue of citizenship of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In his petition, Swamy has asked the High Court to direct the Union Home Ministry to decide on his application to cancel the Indian citizenship of Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.

Subramanian Swamy’s petition is likely to be heard next week. This petition has been filed through advocate Satya Sabharwal. Swamy had written a letter to the Home Ministry in the year 2019 alleging that a company named Backups Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003. Rahul Gandhi was one of its secretaries and directors.

According to Swamy, Rahul Gandhi had stated his citizenship as British in the company’s annual returns on 10 October 2005 and 31 October 2006. His citizenship was also stated as British in the company’s dissolution application on 17 February 2009. He said that Rahul Gandhi has a British passport. Swamy has called it a violation of Article 9 of the Indian Constitution and the Indian Citizenship Act 1955.

The Home Ministry wrote a letter to Rahul Gandhi on 29 April 2019 asking him to inform the correct situation in this regard within a fortnight (15 days). However, Swamy has argued that despite more than five years having passed since this letter, the Home Ministry has still not clarified what decision has been taken on it.

Let us tell you that a person had sought information from the Union Home Ministry under the Right to Information i.e. RTI regarding Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship. However, the ministry refused to give any information. In response, the ministry said that no disclosure can be made under Section 8(1)(H) and (J) of the RTI Act. Giving information will hamper the investigation process.

A petition was also filed in the Supreme Court raising questions about Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship. In that, a demand was made to direct the Home Ministry to conduct an early investigation. Then the bench headed by the then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had dismissed that petition. Along with this, he had commented on it.

The then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had said that if a company declares Rahul Gandhi as a British citizen in any form, it does not mean that he has become a British citizen. In this case, Rahul Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also defended him. Priyanka had said that the whole country knows that Rahul was born in India and is an Indian.