A Delhi court has overturned a magistrate’s refusal to investigate allegations that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was added to voter lists before obtaining Indian citizenship.
The order was passed by Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court. While orally reading out the operative portion of the decision, the judge noted that the magistrate’s order passed in September last year was at variance with the specific allegations made by the petitioner regarding alleged forgery.
Calling out the lower court’s approach, Judge Gogne remarked that the magistrate had passed a “perverse and improper” order without granting the investigating officer from the Delhi Police sufficient time to respond to the allegations and submit a detailed status report.
Furthermore, the court characterised the previous order as “non-speaking” with respect to the core facts of the case, emphasising that branding the complaint as lacking particulars suffered from a manifest error of law.
Sending the case back to the magistrate, the Rouse Avenue Court ordered a proper inquiry and scheduled a fresh hearing by a special court for September 29.
The case stems from a complaint alleging Sonia Gandhi was listed as a voter three years before becoming an Indian citizen.
