People familiar with the situation said on Saturday that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is looking into the Rahul Gandhi citizenship controversy from the perspective of foreign funding, has called S Vignesh Shishir, a Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker from Karnataka and the complainant in the case.
According to sources, Shishir was summoned to Delhi on September 9 to testify before the agency detectives and turn over any documents he may have. The federal financial crimes inquiry agency had started a foreign exchange management act (FEMA) investigation into Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship case almost four years ago, according to an officer who wished to remain anonymous, but Shishir has been called in for the first time.
Shishir claimed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Allahabad High Court that he had British government documents and emails proving Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, is a British citizen and, as a result, is not allowed to run for office in India and, therefore, cannot serve as a member of the Lok Sabha.
According to the officials mentioned above, the Center has already sent a letter to the British government about this. On August 28, the Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench ordered the Union government to give Shishir with 24-hour security.
“We are prima facie satisfied that the matter required consideration as the petitioner has been pursuing his cases against a very powerful individual and is facing constant threats while having to appear before the investigating officer at police station Kotwali, District Raebareli in pursuance of notice issued to him,” the bench noted in its interim order.
Shishir told the high court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was investigating his complaint, which was filed in June 2024. He also stated that he had repeatedly appeared before the CBI in Delhi to provide proof of Gandhi’s purported British citizenship. The CBI has been silent on the subject.