HC stays Home Ministry order revoking TRS MLA's citizenship

 TRS legislator Chennamaneni Ramesh received some respite as the Telangana High Court on Friday stayed the order of Ministry of Home Affairs revoking his Indian citizenship.

Hearing a petition of the legislator challenging the order, the court granted stay for four weeks and adjourned further hearing to December 16.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader, who is a member of state Assembly, had prayed for suspension of proceedings pending disposal of the plea for setting aside the order.

The MLA contended that the Home Ministry did not take the orders passed by the High Court on the same issue earlier.

The Home Ministry on Wednesday issued a fresh order cancelling the Indian citizenship of Ramesh for concealing facts pertaining to his visits to India during the 12-month period immediately preceding his application seeking citizenship.

"His misrepresentation/concealment of fact misled the government of India in making its decision initially. Had he revealed the fact that he had not resided in India for one year before making the application, the competent authority in this ministry would not have granted citizenship to him," the ministry order added.

Ramesh was deprived of the citizenship by Home Ministry in 2017 on the grounds that he had held citizenship of Germany and had not fulfilled the stipulated norms while obtaining the Indian citizenship in 2009.

In July this year, the High Court had set aside the order of the Home Ministry and had directed the ministry to hear afresh the submissions of Ramesh and complainant Adi Srinivas, the Congress leader who was defeated by Ramesh in Vemulawada in 2009 elections.

Ramesh was elected as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in 2009. He later joined TRS and was re-elected in the by-election in 2010. He was elected again from the same constituency in 2014 and 2018.IANS