Allahabad HC Judge Steps Aside In Rahul Gandhi Citizenship Plea, Flags Petitioner’s Conduct
· Free Press Journal
Lucknow: A fresh twist emerged in the dual citizenship case involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday after Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court recused himself from the matter, citing concerns over the petitioner’s conduct and social media posts.
At the outset of the hearing, Justice Vidyarthi referred to posts made by petitioner Vignesh Shishir on social media platform X, which he said contained threatening language. The judge questioned the propriety of making allegations against the court and asked whether such remarks against the judiciary were appropriate.
Visit tr-sport.bond for more information.
The court observed that the petitioner appeared to have used the judicial process for political purposes and said he had been subjected to harassment. When the petitioner attempted to respond, the judge declined to hear him further and directed that the case file be placed before the Chief Justice for constitution of a new bench.
Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka, has alleged that Rahul Gandhi holds dual citizenship and had links to electoral records in the United Kingdom. He claimed to have submitted documents and evidence to support his plea.
The case has witnessed rapid developments in recent days. On April 17, the High Court had directed registration of an FIR and ordered a probe by the CBI after hearing submissions from counsel for the petitioner as well as the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government, who had indicated that issuing notice to Rahul Gandhi was not necessary at that stage.
However, the court later reviewed its own order before it was formalised and found that notice to the concerned party was required in such matters. On April 18, the court reversed its earlier direction, stating that no decision should be taken without first issuing notice to Rahul Gandhi.
The controversy intensified after the petitioner posted two messages on X on April 18. In one post, he warned of exposing alleged links involving mafia, cartels and illegal networks if there was any change in the case status. In another, he referred to bribery and threatened to release intercepted calls, without naming any individual.
UP To Hold Special Assembly Session On April 30 Over Women’s ReservationAlso Watch:
The matter was initially filed before a special MP-MLA court in Raebareli and later transferred to Lucknow by the High Court in December 2025. The lower court had dismissed the plea in January 2026, prompting the petitioner to approach the High Court.
A similar issue had earlier reached the Supreme Court of India, which in 2019 dismissed a plea challenging Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship. The bench led by former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had held that references in corporate documents were not sufficient to establish foreign citizenship.
Following the recusal, the case will now be placed before the Chief Justice for further directions and reconstitution of the bench.