Rahul Gandhi citizenship row | Reprieve to Congress leader as Lucknow court rejects petition

Lucknow: In a huge relief to former Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, a Lucknow Court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking revocation of Congress leader’s Indian citizenship and registration of FIR against him.

Special judge Alok Verma had earlier reserved his verdict in the matter after the hearing was concluded in the case on January 14.

The court said that it did not have jurisdiction in the matter and also added that the petition was a misuse of the judicial process.

It said that the court did not have the jurisdiction to decide citizenship or any issue concerning the same.

The petitioner Shishir Vignesh, a BJP leader from Karnataka, had contended that Rahul was a British citizen. He claimed that he was in possession of documents which supported his contention.

The petitioner had also sought registration of an FIR against Rahul under various sections of the IPC and the Official Secrets Act 1923 as well as revocation of his Indian citizenship.

The case was initially heard in an MP/MLA court in Raebareli but was later transferred to Lucknow on the direction of the Allahabad High Court after the petitioner apprehended threat to his life there.