Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Apr 17: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday directed the registration of an FIR against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in connection with an alleged dual citizenship controversy.

The order was passed by a bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, which also observed that after registering the FIR, the state government may seek assistance from a central agency to carry out the investigation.

The directive came on a petition filed by S Vignesh Shishir, who had challenged a January 28, 2026 order of a special MP/MLA court that had rejected his plea seeking an FIR against Gandhi. The lower court had ruled that it was not competent to decide matters related to citizenship.

The petitioner, a BJP worker from Karnataka, had sought a detailed probe into the allegations, invoking provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.

The complaint was initially filed before a special MP/MLA court in Rae Bareli. However, on the petitioner’s request, the case was transferred to Lucknow by the high court on December 17, 2025. The Lucknow MP/MLA court later dismissed the plea on January 28, 2026, prompting the petitioner to move the high court.

With the latest order, the court has now directed that an FIR be registered and the matter be investigated further.