The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court is scheduled to hear a petition on Monday, May 5, 2025, challenging the citizenship status of Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The court has directed the Central Government to provide a clear response regarding whether Gandhi holds Indian citizenship.
In a previous hearing, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the status report submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which failed to directly address the issue of Gandhi’s citizenship. The bench had granted a 10-day deadline for the MHA to submit a revised report that explicitly answers the question of Gandhi’s citizenship. The case arises from allegations that the Congress leader holds dual citizenship, which would disqualify him from being a member of the Lok Sabha.
The petition claims that Gandhi’s alleged citizenship of the United Kingdom violates Indian laws, which prohibit dual citizenship. The counsel representing the MHA has requested additional time to verify details from the UK government, prompting the court to set a new hearing date of May 5.
This legal battle stems from a 2019 notice issued by the MHA, following a complaint filed by former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy. Swamy had alleged that Gandhi was a director and secretary of a UK-based company, Backops Limited, registered in 2003. He further claimed that in the company’s official filings, Gandhi had declared his nationality as British, citing documents from 2005 and 2006 that listed his nationality as British.
Swamy’s complaint also highlighted that in the dissolution application of the company filed in 2009, Gandhi’s nationality was again listed as British.
The court’s upcoming hearing is expected to bring more clarity on this contentious issue, with both the MHA and the petitioners preparing their arguments. The case has garnered significant attention, as it involves questions of national law and the eligibility of a prominent political figure.