Friday, Apr 26, 2024 | Last Update : 12:59 AM IST
Supreme Court to hear plea over Rahul’s ‘UK nationality’
Petitioners challenge Congress president’s ‘British nationality’, say he concealed information.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has been moved for a direction to the Election Commission (EC) to debar Congress president Rahul Gandhi from contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Amethi and Wayanad constituencies till his citizenship issue is decided.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi told counsel for the two petitioners that the writ petition would be listed for hearing next week. The petitioners, Shri Jai Bhagwan Goyal and Shri Chander Prakash Tyagi, have challenged the Indian citizenship of Mr Gandhi.
The “activists” allege that Mr Gandhi has acquired British citizenship which, according to them, is evident from documents filed by Backops Ltd before the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales. It was pointed out that Mr Gandhi's name is allegedly shown as one of the promoters of the company.
They submitted that the Representation of the People Act provides for disqualification for registration of a person in an electoral roll who is not a citizen of India. Since it is apparent from the documents of the Registrar of Companies of England and Wales, he cannot be a voter in electoral rolls.
They said the EC has a responsibility to ensure that a non-citizen is not registered as a voter in the electoral rolls nor allowed to vote in the elections. The commission has miserably failed in upholding the law by permitting Mr Gandhi to file his nominations. Further, they said that Mr Gandhi has concealed the factum of the British nationality and by concealment of this fact he has been successful in getting elected as a Member of Parliament in the year 2009 and 2014.
The activists have sought a declaration from the court that the Congress president is not competent to contest elections as he is not a citizen of India and to direct the commission to probe the alleged acquisition of British Citizenship by Mr Gandhi and debar him his contesting the polls and to remove his name from the
electoral rolls.
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