Lucknow, April 20 -- Proceedings in the dual citizenship case involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dramatic turn on Monday after Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court recused himself from hearing the matter, citing concerns over the petitioner's conduct.
At the outset of the hearing, Justice Vidyarthi referred to certain social media posts made by petitioner Vignesh Shishir, stating that they contained threatening language and remarks against the judiciary. Questioning the petitioner's conduct, the judge asked how allegations against the court could be made publicly without justification. He also observed that the petitioner appeared to have used the judicial process for political purposes and said he had been subjected to harassment and injustice.
When the petitioner attempted to respond, the court declined to hear him further and directed that the case file be placed before the Chief Justice for the constitution of a fresh bench.
The petitioner, a BJP worker from Karnataka, has alleged that Rahul Gandhi holds dual citizenship and participated in electoral processes in the United Kingdom, claiming to possess supporting documents.
The case has seen rapid developments in recent days. On April 17, the court had directed registration of an FIR and a CBI probe. However, a day later, Justice Vidyarthi reversed the order, noting that established legal procedure required issuing notice to the concerned party before any such direction.
Controversy escalated after the petitioner posted messages on social media platform X warning of exposing alleged links involving mafia and illegal networks, and making references to bribery, though without naming individuals.
The matter, originally filed in a Raebareli MP-MLA court and later transferred to Lucknow, had been dismissed earlier this year, prompting the High Court petition.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.