Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh on Thursday moved the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to set aside an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which cancelled his Indian citizenship.
The petition also sought that no action should be taken against him, and all procedures must be suspended, until the petition pending in front of the court is disposed.
The MHA had issued fresh orders after hearing Ramesh, who had challenged an earlier order from 2017, cancelling his citizenship. Ramesh has argued that the MHA didn't take the High Court orders into consideration while issuing fresh orders, and added that he was confident of getting justice.
Ramesh's citizenship was revoked on the grounds that he held citizenship of Germany and didn't fulfil the norms while obtaining Indian citizenship in 2009.
In July, the HC had set aside the MHA order and directed it to hear Ramesh's submissions afresh. It also began hearing the argument put forth by complainant Adi Srinivas, the Congress leader defeated by Ramesh in the 2009 elections.
The Congress leader spoke to reporters on Thursday and said that he also approached the High Court and requested that he must be kept in the loop about Ramesh's case, and was even willing to provide evidence if needed.
Srinivas claimed that Ramesh had submitted fake documents, and violated the Representation of People’s Act, which states that any person who is not an Indian citizen, is not eligible to contest or vote in any election.
Under the Act, a person has to reside in India for 365 days (one year) to be eligible for citizenship. While Ramesh argued that he has done so, Srinivas claimed that it was not a 'continuous stay'.
The ruling party legislator has maintained that he had surrendered his Indian passport and taken up German citizenship in 1993. But, in 2009, he applied for the Indian citizenship and was granted the same.
Ramesh was re-elected to the Telangana Assembly from the Vemulawada constituency last year.
IANS inputs