In a significant setback for Rahul Gandhi in the dual citizenship case, the Allahabad High Court has ordered the registration of an FIR against him. The Lucknow Bench further directed the Uttar Pradesh government to either conduct the investigation itself or refer the matter to a central agency.
The bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi passed the order on a BJP Worker’s petition that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, holds British Citizenship.
The petitioner, identified as S Vignesh Shishir, challenged a January 28 order of a special MP/MLA court in Lucknow, which had rejected his plea seeking registration of an FIR against the Congress leader.
The MP/MLA court had held that it was not competent to decide issues relating to citizenship.
About Rahul Gandhi’s dual citizenship case
The petitioner has sought registration of an FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.
The petitioner, who is a BJP worker from Karnataka, had claimed that he has documents and some emails of the British government which prove that Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen, and thus he is ineligible to contest elections in India and cannot hold the post of a Lok Sabha member.
The complaint was initially filed before a special MP/MLA court in Rae Bareli. On December 17, 2025, the case was transferred to Lucknow. The petitioner subsequently moved the high court after his plea was dismissed by the Lucknow court.