The special MP-MLA court in Lucknow on Wednesday concluded hearing in the criminal case involving the demand for an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, MP from Rae Bareli and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, over his citizenship row.
After hearing all arguments, the court of Special Judge and Third Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Alok Verma reserved the verdict and set January 28, 2026 as the date for the pronouncement of the judgement.
Petitioner S Vignesh Shishir alleged that Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen and hence his Indian citizenship should be revoked.
He claims that he has collected emails and documents related to the British government that prove Rahul Gandhi’s alleged British citizenship. These documents have been presented to the court.
The case was initially pending before the special MP-MLA court in Rae Bareli. It was later transferred to Lucknow on the orders of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. Following the transfer, it was renumbered as a criminal misdemeanor case and given case number 31/2026.
The petitioner and complainant, S. Vignesh Shishir, personally represented the court. The day-to-day hearing in the case continued for eight days, totaling over 20 hours of debate. The petitioner presented his case before the court using several landmark Supreme Court decisions, legal precedents, and detailed arguments.
During the hearing, the court took on record 45 annexures, a sealed envelope, and a detailed 310-page document related to the case. It accepted all these documents for the purpose of final judgment.
The petition seeks direction to register an FIR against Rahul Gandhi under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, as well as the Official Secrets Act 1923, the Passport Act 1967, and the Foreigners Act 1946. The petitioner claims that serious legal violations have been committed in the case.