Forgery in Voter Rolls? Sonia Gandhi Faces Fresh Legal Challenge
Application before magistrate alleges forgery, seeks FIR; court to hear matter on September 10
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Sept: A plea filed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia on Tuesday sought action against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, alleging that her name was included in India’s electoral rolls three years before she became a citizen of the country.
The application, filed under Section 175(4) CrPC (power of magistrate to order investigation), requested the court to direct the police to investigate the matter.
Citizenship vs. Voter Roll Entry
According to the complainant, Vikas Tripathi, represented by senior advocate Pavan Narang, documents show that Sonia Gandhi officially acquired Indian citizenship on April 30, 1983. However, her name allegedly appeared in the electoral roll of the New Delhi constituency in 1980, only to be deleted in 1982 and re-entered in 1983 after she became a citizen.
Narang told the court, “What documents were given to the Election Commission when her name got included in 1980? There seems to be some forgery, and a public authority has been cheated.”
He further argued that the reason for deletion of her name from the rolls in 1982 was unclear. “There can be two reasons — either a person takes citizenship of another country, or files a Form 8 (application for correction in particulars). But the prerequisite is that the person has to be a citizen,” he said.
Plea for FIR
The complainant urged the court to issue directions to police to register an FIR under the appropriate sections. “Whether the sections are made out or not is for the police to decide. In the interim, a notice may be issued to the police for a status report,” Narang submitted.
Next Hearing
The court has posted the matter for September 10, when it is expected to hear further arguments and decide on whether to order a probe.
