Allahabad HC judge recuses from hearing Rahul Gandhi dual citizenship plea
Lucknow (PTI): A judge of the Allahabad High Court on Monday recused himself from hearing a plea related to the alleged dual citizenship controversy involving Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and requested the Chief Justice to assign the matter to another bench.
Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, while passing the order, acknowledged that a notice should have been issued to Gandhi, the proposed accused, before dictating his earlier order in open court on April 17.
Hearing the plea earlier, the judge had dictated an order directing the Uttar Pradesh Police to register an FIR against Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in connection with the alleged dual citizenship issue.
However, when the order was uploaded on the court's website on April 18, it noted that before the order could be finalised and signed, the judge became aware of a binding precedent of the high court mandating the issuance of notice to the proposed accused before passing any such order.
Subsequently, instead of signing the order, the judge posted the matter for further hearing on April 20 to consider the question of issuing notice to Gandhi.
In his order on Monday, Justice Vidyarthi clarified that it was mandatory to hear the proposed accused before passing any order in the case.
During the hearing, the judge also took exception to certain social media posts made by the petitioner, S Shishir Vignesh, a BJP worker from Karnataka.
"The messages posted by the petitioner on social media after passing of the order on April 17 amount to casting aspersions on this Court and, keeping those in consideration, I find it appropriate to recuse from hearing this case," he said.
Expressing displeasure over the lack of proper legal assistance, Justice Vidyarthi observed, "I am pained to note that the lawyers appearing in this case have failed to perform their duty of providing assistance to the Court in a fair manner."
The petitioner has sought registration of an FIR and a detailed probe, levelling allegations under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.
During earlier hearings, the bench had asked the Centre about action taken on a complaint alleging Gandhi's British citizenship and had summoned records from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Although the records were produced, the court chose not to examine them.
The complaint was initially filed before a special MP/MLA court in Rae Bareli. On December 17, 2025, the high court transferred the case to Lucknow.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
