SC may take up Rahul’s citizenship next week

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Hindu Mahasabha on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against Congress President Rahul Gandhi, raising questions on his citizenship and sought debarring him from contesting the Lok Sabha election from Wayanad and Amethi seats.

The case is likely to be taken up by the court in the coming week.

The petition is filed by Jai Bhagwan Goel, executive president of the United Hindu Front and Chandra Prasad Kaushik, national president of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. The petitioner's counsel, Barun Sinha speaking to media said that Rahul is not a citizen of Indian origin; therefore, his candidature for polls should be immediately struck down.

The petition claimed that Gandhi acquired British citizenship, and that the Election Commission should intervene urgently to decide his eligibility to contest the ongoing elections. The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, but it declined it.

Sinha said Rahul in the official documents of a company in the UK, mentioned that he is a British citizen and that "he has given up his Indian citizenship."

The petition said that Rahul is incompetent to contest elections as per the provisions of Constitution of India read with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued a notice to Gandhi on April 29 to clarify his nationality within a fortnight after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy alleged that he is a British national.

The BJP had raised the issue earlier in April, citing the British company's document to allege that Gandhi is a British national. BJP MP Swamy cited the same British company document.

Swamy in his representation before the Home Ministry alleged that Gandhi served as one of the Directors and Secretary of the British firm Backops Ltd, which is registered in the UK since 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire.