TRS MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh still holds German passport: MHA to Telgana high court

HYDERABAD:

Union home ministry

on Wednesday informed the high court that

TRS MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh

from Vemulavada is now holding a

German passport

which is valid till February 25, 2023.

Namavarapu Rajeswara Rao, the assistant solicitor general filed a memo and certain documents sent by the Centre to this effect before the court.

Justice Challa Kodanda Ram

who was hearing this case filed by Congress leader Adi Srinivas raising objections about a German citizen functioning as their legislator. Petitioner’s counsel V Ravi Kiran Rao charged Ramesh with perpetuating the fraud even today.

MLA Ramesh claimed that he relinquished his

German citizenship

ten years ago when he started his political career in Karimnagar district. But today that was proved out to be wrong because he still has a valid German citizenship.

The Centre has already cancelled his

Indian citizenship

because he suppressed vital information about his mandatory stay in India prior to his application while filling the citizenship form, he said. The MLA’s counsel Y Rama Rao said that the centre has unilaterally cancelled his Indian citizenship and sought its restoration.

He relinquished his German citizenship and now with the cancellation of his Indian citizenship the legislator has now become stateless, he said seeking a rational and practical approach by the central authorities in the matter rather than looking at the issue purely from a technical prism.

Ravi Kiran Rao refuted the claims of the legislator and said that the claims of relinquishing German citizenship were proved out to be bogus and this was what was revealed by the documents filed by union home ministry, he said.

Justice Kodanda Ram went through the documents filed by the Centre and said that the union home secretary did not do any fresh exercise like finding out the status of the legislator from the German embassy.

The judge directed the Centre to file an affidavit explaining the current status of the legislator by Jan 20. The judge in the last hearing directed Ramesh too to file an affidavit. This time I want sworn affidavits both from the home secretary and the legislator, the judge said before adjourning the case.