The Allahabad High Court on Friday observed that allegations claiming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holds dual citizenship require examination while ordering the police to file an FIR against the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.

The Lucknow Bench of the High Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to either conduct an inquiry itself or refer the matter to a central agency for investigation.

The observation came while hearing a petition filed by S Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker, who had challenged a January 28 order passed by a special MP/MLA court in Lucknow. The lower court had refused his plea seeking the registration of an FIR against the Congress leader.

Earlier, the special court had held that it did not have the authority to decide issues related to citizenship and had therefore rejected the plea.

Taking note of the concerns raised, the High Court said that the matter requires proper verification. It directed the state authorities to take appropriate steps to ensure that the issue is examined in accordance with the law.

The case relates to allegations that Rahul Gandhi may have British citizenship, which is not allowed under Indian law. The issue stems from complaints citing documents linked to a UK-based company, where he was allegedly described as a British citizen and listed a London address in official filings.

Based on these claims, a petition was filed seeking the registration of an FIR and a detailed investigation under various legal provisions, including laws related to citizenship, passports, and national security.

The matter reached the Allahabad High Court after a lower MP/MLA court refused to order an FIR, saying it lacked jurisdiction to decide citizenship issues.

Source: News18