The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has directed the Union home ministry to reach a decision on leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship status within four weeks.

The ministry had requested an extension of eight weeks till April 21, but the court denied that plea.

The controversy surrounding the Congress MP’s citizenship has been lingering for years, despite him being a Lok Sabha MP since 2004 (except during 2019-24) and now serving as the leader of the Opposition.

The case stems from a petition filed by Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka, who has urged the court to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

The petitioner claims to have fresh evidence regarding the Amethi MP’s alleged foreign citizenship.

Speaking to NDTV, Shishir stated that he possessed confidential emails suggesting the Congress leader appeared in the UK's citizenship records.

"We have obtained direct communication from UK authorities that lists Rahul Gandhi as a citizen in their records," he asserted.

He further argued that under Indian law, dual citizenship is prohibited, and if an individual acquires citizenship of another country, their Indian nationality is revoked.

"We have submitted all relevant documents to the Allahabad high court," he added.

Last November, a bench comprising Justices Rajan Roy and Om Prakash Shukla had instructed Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey, representing the home ministry, to provide details on any action taken regarding the matter. No such report has been filed so far.

The court had given the ministry three weeks to respond, but with the deadline missed, the latest order now sets a fresh four-week timeline.