The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has sought a reply from Central government agencies regarding the alleged disproportionate assets case against Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The court directed the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), among other relevant parties, to file their responses within eight weeks.
The next hearing in the case will be on July 20.
The order was passed by a division bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Zafeer Ahmed after hearing a petition filed by S. Vignesh Shishir on Thursday.
The petitioner requested that the Central government’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs be made parties to the case, which the court accepted.
During the hearing, the CBI’s counsel informed the court that the petitioner’s complaint had been received and that a response regarding the investigation would be submitted by the next date.
Similarly, the ED stated that it was examining the allegations after receiving the complaint and would file a progress report at the next hearing.
The Court remarked that if a complaint has been received, the relevant agencies should verify the allegations and take necessary action in accordance with the law. The SFIO also requested time to file a response, which the Court granted, directing all parties to file counter-affidavits within the stipulated timeframe.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, the High Court also ordered that the entire petition file and other documents be kept safe in a sealed envelope.
The petition was filed by S. Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka. The petitioner alleges that Rahul Gandhi and his family’s assets exceed their declared income. The petition demands an impartial investigation into the matter by Central investigating agencies.