The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to revoke Rahul Gandhi’s Indian citizenship, marking the third unsuccessful attempt by petitioner Vignesh Shishir to raise the issue in court.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Ajai Kumar Srivastava refused to consider the plea, citing lack of credible evidence. The Court stressed that no material had been presented to prove Gandhi’s alleged foreign citizenship or possession of a British passport.
“Where is that passport on record? Don’t throw paper at us without proof,” the Bench remarked sharply during the hearing.
The judges also took note of the fact that the petitioner had already submitted a representation to the Central Government. They reiterated that the Court would not intervene unless legally substantial grounds were provided.
Shishir claimed that a video exists showing Rahul Gandhi entering Vietnam using a British passport, and further alleged that the UK government had shared the relevant documents with Indian authorities. “I have 200 pages of evidence proving Gandhi is a UK citizen,” Shishir argued. However, the Court remained unconvinced by the claim.
Given the absence of admissible proof, the Court permitted the petitioner to withdraw the plea while granting him the liberty to file a review petition challenging the Court’s earlier dismissal order from May 5.
The High Court’s consistent stance across all three petitions underlines the judiciary’s insistence on substantiated legal claims when dealing with sensitive issues related to citizenship and public figures.
The matter stands closed for now unless revisited through a legally valid review process.
