The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has instructed the CBI, ED, SFIO, and other agencies to submit responses within eight weeks regarding a petition accusing Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of possessing disproportionate assets. The directive was issued by a Division Bench comprising Justices Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Zafeer Ahmad in response to a criminal writ petition filed by BJP worker S. Vignesh Shishir from Karnataka. The CBI and ED, based on written instructions, assured the court of responding to the complaints within the stipulated time frame.
The High Court emphasized the need for the allegations in the complaints to be duly investigated by the concerned agencies in accordance with the law. Additionally, the petitioner was granted permission to involve the Union of India through various departments as additional parties in the case. All parties, including the newly added authorities, have been directed to file their counter affidavits within eight weeks and update the court on the progress of the complaint. The court ordered that all case-related documents remain sealed and under the custody of the Senior Registrar of the Allahabad High Court.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 20 and will be discussed during in-chambers proceedings. Previously, the High Court had sealed and preserved all case documents after preliminary submissions, allowing time for the respondent authorities to seek guidance. The petitioner, S. Vignesh Shishir, was also involved in a previous case where the High Court directed the UP Police to investigate allegations of dual citizenship against Rahul Gandhi, a decision later modified to grant Gandhi an opportunity for a hearing before any action could be taken.
