Court Battles: Rahul Gandhi's Citizenship Under Scrutiny

The Allahabad High Court has permitted the Central government to become involved in a legal case relating to the citizenship status of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the Lucknow bench issued the order on Thursday while reviewing a petition from S Vignesh Shishir. The court instructed the government to submit pertinent records by April 6. The case attracted attention after the High Court allowed the case to include the Centre as an opposing party and requested relevant records for the approaching hearing. Previously, the Central government requested that the case proceedings not occur in open court, citing the confidential documents from the Home Ministry, leading to prior chamber-held proceedings.

The petitioner, Shishir, contests a January 28, 2026, order from a special MP/MLA court in Lucknow, which declined a demand for an FIR filing against Gandhi. The petition advocates for an FIR and comprehensive investigation into allegations regarding Gandhi's citizenship, invoking the Indian Penal Code, the Passport Act, and the Official Secrets Act.