A Delhi court has issued notice to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi after a petition sought criminal proceedings against her over allegations that her name was entered into the voter list before she became an Indian citizen. The plea claims that her inclusion on the electoral rolls in the early 1980s occurred at a time when she was still an Italian national, raising questions about whether the entry violated the rules governing voter eligibility.
The petition challenges an earlier magistrate court order that had declined to direct the police to register an FIR. According to the petitioner, Sonia Gandhi’s name first appeared on the New Delhi electoral roll in 1980, was later removed, and re-entered only after she acquired Indian citizenship in 1983. The plea argues that the earlier inclusion was irregular and potentially involved manipulation of official records, making a police investigation necessary to determine how the entry was made and who was responsible.
During the recent hearing, the revision court noted that the allegations involved issues of public importance and therefore required a response from both Sonia Gandhi and the Delhi Police before it could decide whether further action was warranted. The court observed that if the petitioner’s claims were supported by official documents, they could justify a more detailed inquiry into the process by which voter records were maintained at the time.
The earlier decision to reject the request for an FIR was based on the reasoning that matters of citizenship status and electoral eligibility fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India, and therefore do not automatically give rise to criminal liability. However, the petitioner has argued that the case involves potential falsification of documents, which does fall within the domain of criminal law, and that only a police inquiry can establish the facts surrounding the entries in the voter list.
By issuing notice, the court has reopened the matter and asked for responses before taking a final view on whether the allegations warrant an investigation. The case is expected to involve examination of decades-old electoral records, explanations from authorities, and arguments over whether any procedural or legal violations occurred. The next hearing is scheduled to determine how the matter will move forward once all responses are on record.
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