New Delhi, May 9: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday dismissed a petition which sought a ban on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi from contesting elections. The petitioners had cited the recent notice sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Gandhi scion, asking him to explain whether he holds British citizenship.

The plea was filed by Delhi residents Jai Bhagwan Goyal and Chander Prakash Tyagi, who described themselves as "social and public spirited persons". They demanded the apex court to issue a directive to the Election Commission, asking the polling body to debar Rahul Gandhi from entering the poll fray till he is proven to be an Indian citizen. Congress Releases Documents Showing Rahul Gandhi Registered as 'Indian' Citizen Before UK Authorities

Since Rahul Gandhi has "voluntarily acquired" British citizenship, he cannot be allowed to contest polls from India, the petitioners submitted before the court.

The bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, however, found no merit in the petition and junked it off.

Update by ANI:

A similar petition was also moved before the apex court in 2015. The then Chief Justice of India, HL Dattu, had also dismissed the petition questioning Gandhi's nationality by calling it "frivolous".

The Parliamentary Ethics committee had also raised the matter in 2015 on the complaint of BJP MP Subramanian Swamy. Gandhi, while deposing before the same, had presented documents to counter Swamy's allegations.

Documents Released by Congress:

The Home Ministry notice to Gandhi, sent last month, was based on a presentation by Swamy, who submitted purported documents of incorporation of Backops, a company registered in the United Kingdom and lists the Congress chief among its directors.

The papers submitted by Swamy shows Gandhi registering himself as a British citizen. However, a copy of the incorporation document of Backops, put in public domain by the Congress, shows the party president registering himself as an Indian national.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2019 12:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).