Chennai, Sept 22:
A Delhi court has set aside a magistrate’s order refusing to order a probe into a complaint alleging that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s name was included in an electoral roll before she acquired Indian citizenship.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne quashed the September 11, 2025 order of the magistrate and remanded the matter for a fresh decision after hearing the parties.
The complaint was filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi, who alleged that Sonia Gandhi’s name had been included in the electoral roll three years before she obtained Indian citizenship in 1983.
The judge held that the earlier order was not adequately reasoned and had failed to comply with the procedure under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
The court noted that the magistrate had not heard the submissions of the concerned police officer or called for a status report from the police station. It also said the magistrate had not properly considered the legal options of directing registration of an FIR or ordering proceedings under the relevant provision.
The court observed that the magistrate had moved into the question of citizenship instead of first examining whether the complaint disclosed a cognisable offence.
The matter has now been sent back to the magistrate for a reasoned order after fresh arguments. It has been posted for further proceedings on September 29.
The court’s order concerns the procedure for examining the complaint and does not itself establish the allegations made against Sonia Gandhi.