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This is an archive article published on December 7, 2024

Delhi HC seeks govt assistance in Swamy’s plea over citizenship status of Rahul Gandhi

The petition has been listed next for January 13.

Rahul GandhiIn November, the HC had expressed its concern that adjudicating Swamy’s plea may lead to “two parallel proceedings” over the same issue, as another plea by Vignesh Shishir.

The Delhi High Court Friday sought the Centre’s position on a petition by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy seeking the court’s directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on his allegations regarding Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship status.

Taken up before the bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, the court sought “assistance” from the government’s counsel before passing any order. The government’s counsel Apoorv Kurup has now been designated as a senior advocate. The petition has been listed next for January 13.

In November, the HC had expressed its concern that adjudicating Swamy’s plea may lead to “two parallel proceedings” over the same issue, as another plea by Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Bengaluru, challenging Gandhi’s alleged dual citizenship and seeking a CBI probe into the matter, is pending before the Allahabad HC.

The Allahabad HC is due to hear the plea on December 19 where it has directed the MHA to apprise the court of the status of Shishir’s representation made to the MHA.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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