Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to inquire into and determine the dual citizenship of TRS legislator Chennamaneni Ramesh within six weeks.
The petition against Mr Ramesh was filed by Mr Adi Srinivas, who contested election against him from the Congress. The case was heard by a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The petitioner had earlier filed a petition in the AP High Court in 2013 stating that Mr Ramesh possessed citizenship of Germany and urged the court to cancel his election. The court upheld the petition and set aside the election of Mr Ramesh from Vemulavada.
The court’s orders came following a complaint lodged with the Union home ministry in 2009 by Mr Srinivas, who alleged that Mr Ramesh was not an Indian citizen.
Mr Srinivas also alleged that Mr Ramesh had submitted fake documents, stating that he was in India for a year and had dual citizenship.
Mr Ramesh is the son of veteran communist leader Ch Rajeshwar Rao. He successfully contested from Vemula-wada in Karimnagar district first on a TD ticket in 2009 and as a TRS candidate in the 2010 byelections. He won from a TRS ticket in 2014.
Mr Ramesh has said that he obtained Indian citizenship on February 23, 2009. He challenged the HC orders in the apex court which issued stay orders.
Mr Srinivas again approached the SC seeking vacation of stay orders. The SC heard the petition in August 2016. The SC has now directed the home ministry to inquire and submit a report in six weeks.
