Bollywood actor Rahul Bose files reply in HC, says his HP domicile certificate legally valid

On December 5, the High Court had issued a notice to Bose in a petition challenging his acquisition of a Himachal Pradesh domicile certificate, allegedly to become the president of Rugby India, the national federation for the sport. The petition was filed by Diviya Kumari Jubbal, a member of the erstwhile Jubbal princely state. The court had directed Bose and other respondents, including the state government, the Deputy Commissioner of Solan, and the Himachal Rugby Association, to file their replies by December 18.

Advocate Karan Singh Kanwar, representing the petitioner, said the reply filed by Bose was voluminous and would require detailed examination. “The matter has been listed for January 6. One of the respondents has sought time to file a response,” he said.

Defence counsel Janesh Gupta said the domicile certificate issued to Bose is legally valid and unrelated to the Rugby India elections, as alleged in the petition. He added that the reply also refers to the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, notified in August this year. Gupta told The Indian Express, “We filed our reply in the court of law. The domicile certificate issued to us is legally valid and it had nothing to do with the rugby body elections which was pointed out in the petition. In our reply we also mentioned The National Sports Governance Act, 2025 which was notified in August 2025.”

Sources said the defence also raised the issue of media coverage of the case, though the court did not take cognisance of it.

In her petition, Jubbal alleged that Bose used the reputation of the royal family to further his interests within the rugby federation and obtained a Himachal Pradesh domicile certificate to secure votes in the Rugby India election. She claimed Bose was born in Kolkata and holds Aadhaar, passport and domicile documents from Maharashtra, where he has worked in the film industry, and questioned the authenticity of his Himachal domicile certificate, alleging he required it to secure two votes from the state.

Bose, a member of India’s first national rugby team to play in an international tournament, the Asian Rugby Football union Championship in 1998, was elected president of Rugby India in 2021. He is credited with playing a key role in popularising the sport in the country, including through the launch of India’s first franchise-based Rugby Premier League.