New Delhi (IANS) | A Delhi court on Friday allowed NOC for issuing ordinary passport to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. However, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vaibhav Mehta of Rouse Avenue Court directed that the NOC for passport would be valid only for three years, while Gandhi had sought NOC for 10 years.
Rahul Gandhi surrendered his diplomatic passport after he was no longer eligible as an MP. Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday moved the court seeking NOC for a new ordinary passport.
Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy opposed Gandhi’s application, saying that if the Congress leader is allowed to go abroad, it may affect the investigation into the National Herald case. Swamy had filed the case against Rahul, his mother Sonia Gandhi and related persons.
Swamy told the court on Friday that he was told by an officer in the UK that Rahul Gandhi was a British citizen, so his Indian citizenship should be revoked under Indian law.
He said, I was in UK recently and an official there told me that Gandhi has declared himself as a British citizen. Under Indian law, his Indian citizenship should be revoked outright.
Swamy opposed Rahul Gandhi’s application saying that holding a passport is not a fundamental right and there is no valid reason to give a passport for 10 years.
They have asked for a passport valid for 10 years, which is the maximum, he said. But this is a special case. There is no such thing as a fundamental right to have a passport. He has no valid reason for passport for 10 years.
Supporting Gandhi, advocate Tarannum Cheema said that even those accused of serious crimes have been issued passports.
Cheema said, routine for ten years. As far as citizenship is concerned, the documents that are there are not for criminal proceedings. We haven’t heard anything from the ministry since 2019. Those who are serious criminals have also been given passport for ten years. This includes the culprits of 2G and other cases.
On this Swami said that if something wrong happened earlier then it cannot be justified now.
Earlier, Gandhi’s counsel had told the court that there was no criminal case pending against him and hence NOC could be granted to him.
–IANS
