Rahul Gandhi's Citizenship Row: SC rejects plea to debar Congress President from contesting poll

The Supreme Court on Thursday junked the plea questioning Congress President Rahul Gandhi's foreign citizenship, in the middle of ongoing national elections.

"Just because a paper notes his citizenship as British, does he become a British citizen?" says the court.

The petition filed by two Delhi residents -- Jai Bhagwan Goyal and Chander Prakash Tyagi, seeking the Supreme Court to order the Centre to decide whether Gandhi was a British citizen. The petitioner also seeked if he should be allowed to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi and Wayanad LS seats.

The petitioners had said that in a form along with the annual data of a UK-based company in 2005-06, it was allegedly mentioned that Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen.

"If some company in some form mentions his nationality as British, does he become a British citizen," the top court bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said.

"We dismiss the petition. There is no merit in the petition," said CJI Ranjan Gogoi.

He also asked, “Who doesn't want to become the PM? Everyone among 130 crore would want to become the PM. It is a healthy aspiration.” 

On April 30, Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his foreign citizenship after Subramanian Swamy filed complain against him. BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy has been alleging that the Congress president is a British citizen for years.

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