HYDERABAD: TRS MLA
Chennamaneni Ramesh
, got a reprieve on Friday when Justice Challa Kodanda Ram of the high court suspended the order of Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) revoking his Indian citizenship.
The judge, who heard the petition of Congress leader and Ramesh’s rival Aadi Srinivas, suspended MHA’s order for four weeks. Ramesh’s counsel said his client has been serving people as a legislator from 2009. “He is a native of
Karimnagar
and was born to parents who were freedom fighters. Because he worked in Germany for a decade, he acquired citizenship, which he gave up after returning to India in 2007. Now, by virtue of the Centre’s decision to terminate his Indian citizenship, he was rendered stateless,” he said.
The Centre had ignored the directive of the HC, which asked authorities to examine under Section 10(3) of the Indian citizenship Act that asks Centre not to deprive a person of his citizenship unless his continuance is not conducive to public good, the counsel argued.
Appearing on behalf of the Centre, assistant solicitor general N Rajeswara Rao said according to Indian Citizenship Act, Ramesh should stay for 12 preceding months in India before applying for citizenship. “MHA inquiry revealed that he stayed in India for two months prior to application,” the ASG said.
The judge directed the Centre to produce records pertaining to the case. Senior counsel Vedula Venkata Ramana, who appeared for Srinivas, said Centre acted only after perusing the records.
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