HC relief for TRS MLA in citizenship row; stay extended for 8 weeks

HYDERABAD: Justice Challa Kodanda Ram of Telangana high court on Monday extended the stay on centre’s decision to suspend the Indian Citizenship of Vemulavada MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh for 8 more weeks. The judge gave this interim direction while hearing a petition filed by the legislator who was aggrieved with the decision of the centre in cancelling his Indian citizenship.It can be recalled the centre earlier came to a conclusion that Ramesh did not act in a transparent manner in respect of acquiring Indian citigenship and even said that he concealed some crucial information from the purview of the union home ministry.
Ramesh acquired German citizenship during his work at Germany and shifted to India later in 2008. But while reacquiring the Indian citizenship, he needs to apply and must stay in India continuously for a period of 12 months prior to his application for Indian citizenship. His political rival Adi Srinivas could successfully prove before the authorities that Ramesh did not continuously stay in India during this period and that he did go to Germany and stayed there intermittently even during this period. The centre while cancelling Ramesh’s citizenship found fault with the legislator for misleading the authorities in this regard.
In fact, on Monday, when the matter came up for hearing Srinivas’s counsel Ravi Kiran Rao made an allegation that Ramesh is still retaining his German Citizenship even today. Ramesh’s counsel Y Rama Rao denied any such possibility and said that Ramesh had relinquished his German citizenship long ago upon reacquiring his Indian citizenship. The judge posted the case to four weeks and sought a counter from Adi Srinivas. The Centre’s action stands stayed for eight more weeks, the judge said.