Ex-MLA fined ₹30L for contesting elections as German citizen
What's the story
The Telangana High Court has slapped a ₹30 lakh fine on former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Chennamaneni Ramesh for contesting elections using forged documents while being a German citizen. The court directed Ramesh to pay ₹25 lakh to Congress's Aadi Srinivas and ₹5 lakh to the Legal Service Authority. The Indian Constitution prohibits dual nationality and non-Indians from contesting or voting in elections.
Citizenship controversy
Ramesh's citizenship and political journey
Ramesh became a German citizen in 1993 after moving there in the early 1990s. He returned to India in 2008, and his application for Indian citizenship was accepted by the Union home ministry, then under Congress. He won the Vemulawada seat in 2009 as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He joined BRS in 2010 and won subsequent elections in 2014 and 2018 in Telangana.
Citizenship revocation
Revocation of Ramesh's Indian citizenship
In July 2020, the BJP-led government had revoked Ramesh's Indian citizenship, a decision that was reaffirmed by the high court in February 2021. The recent ruling came after a petition by Aadi Srinivas, who defeated Ramesh for the Vemulawada seat last year when Congress wrested the state from BRS.
Political unrest
Ruling amid BRS-Congress tensions
The high court's decision comes amid the ongoing tussle between BRS and Congress lawmakers in Telangana. BRS Working President KT Rama Rao slammed the Congress and said, "Double standard of Congress needs to be exposed." Tensions rose after several BRS leaders were put under house arrest to prevent them from participating in a protest after several party members were arrested.