A Delhi Sessions Court has taken up a revision plea questioning a Magistrate’s earlier decision to reject a complaint involving Congress MP Sonia Gandhi. The complaint raised objections regarding her name allegedly appearing in the electoral rolls for the year 1980-81, while she officially became an Indian citizen three years later.
In response to the challenge, the Rouse Avenue Court has chosen to seek further examination of the matter and has sent notices to both Sonia Gandhi and the Delhi Police. The revision petition was filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi.
The case is scheduled to return to the court’s docket on January 6 for the next hearing.
‘Sonia Gandhi became Indian citizen in 1983’
The revision petition further points out that the Congress MP’s name appeared on the electoral rolls even before she had acquired Indian citizenship.
“The documents clearly indicate that Sonia Gandhi took citizenship of this country of India, on April 30, 1983. Her name got included in the electoral roll as a voter in the New Delhi constituency in 1980…, which was then deleted in 1982. It re-entered in 1983 when the qualification date was January 1, 1983,” The Indian Express quoted advocate Pavan Narang, who represented Tripathi, the complainant in this case, as saying.
He added, “If proper procedure had been followed, then there was no reason for her name to be deleted in 1982. Two names were deleted during this time—Sanjay Gandhi, who died in a plane crash, and Sonia Gandhi.”
‘Forgery happened, public authority cheated’
The lawyer highlighted alleged irregularities, claiming that the public authority had been misled. He also raised questions about the documents submitted to include Sonia Gandhi’s name in the electoral rolls, IE reported.
“A person could either be born in India or must have gotten citizenship under the Citizenship of India Act…either by naturalisation or by registration,” Narang was further quoted by the outlet. “Sonia Gandhi’s original name is Antonia Maino. By virtue of marriage, she had acquired a certificate on April 30, 1983, via registration.”
“Her name is included in the statutory records of the Election Commission, which gives the right only to citizens of India and not to anyone else. What documents were given to the EC when her name got included in 1980? That clearly shows that some forgery has happened and a public authority has been cheated,” Narang, who was accompanied by advocate Himanshu Sethi, argued.
Sonia Gandhi turns 79 today
Sonia Gandhi celebrates her 79th birthday today, with the Congress party lauding her visionary leadership that helped transform India through landmark rights-based laws like MGNREGA and the National Food Security Act.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished her on her birthday. “Birthday greetings to Sonia Gandhi Ji. May she be blessed with a long life and good health,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).