New Delhi: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has issued a notice to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in a case related to the alleged inclusion of her name in the voter list before her citizenship claims were confirmed. The Rouse Avenue Court issued the notice to Congress MP Sonia Gandhi. This notice comes in response to a petition claiming that Sonia Gandhi’s name was wrongly added to the 1980-81 voter list.
The petition also challenges a magistrate’s decision to dismiss a complaint filed against Sonia Gandhi. The court has also issued a notice to the state government in this matter and has summoned the entire case record (TCR). Special Judge Vishal Gogne has ordered the next hearing to be held on January 6. Sonia Gandhi and the state government are required to respond to the notice by then.
The petition was filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi. Earlier, on September 11, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia had dismissed the petition. The petition states that Sonia Gandhi’s name was added to the voter list in 1980, even though she became an Indian citizen only in 1983. The petition claims that Sonia Gandhi’s name was added to the voter list of the New Delhi assembly constituency in 1980, even though she was not an Indian citizen at that time.
Sonia Gandhi’s name was removed from the voter list in 1982 and later added again in 1983. Sonia Gandhi became an Indian citizen in 1983. The petition states that Sonia Gandhi also applied for Indian citizenship in April 1983. The petition alleges that when Sonia Gandhi became an Indian citizen in 1983, some forged documents must have been submitted to add her name to the voter list in 1980, which is a cognizable offense. The petition requests the court to order the registration of an FIR against Sonia Gandhi. The Magistrate Court had not issued notices to either Sonia Gandhi or the Delhi Police in this matter. The main allegations in the complaint are:
The complaint states that Sonia Gandhi is originally an Italian citizen. Her name was allegedly included in the voter list in January 1980. However, under the Citizenship Act, 1955, she obtained Indian citizenship sometime later, in 1983. The complainant has requested the court to investigate this irregularity and hold the concerned officials accountable for this alleged illegal registration.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the court has asked Sonia Gandhi and the election officials to file their responses. This move by the court is a significant step towards scrutinizing the electoral records of public figures and ensuring legal compliance in the voter registration process.
The court has directed all the respondents to file their replies by a specific date. Following the issuance of the notice by the court, there has been no immediate official response from the Congress party. This case now revolves around the rules of Indian citizenship and the electoral process, and all eyes will be on the next hearing.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that this is a lie. She voted only after she became a citizen of the country. They should show proof of this. She is about to turn 80, and she has served the country her entire life.
