Citizenship Ruling: Former MLA Ramesh Settles Rs 25 Lakh Fine as Ordered by Telangana High Court

Hyderabad, April 21 (NationPress) Former MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh of Bharat Rashtra Samithi has complied with the order of the Telangana High Court by paying a fine of Rs 25 lakh to Congress MLA and Government Whip Adi Srinivas in a citizenship matter.

Srinivas had approached the High Court, asserting that Ramesh concealed his German citizenship by providing fraudulent documents.

On November 6, 2024, the High Court confirmed that Ramesh is indeed a German citizen and imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh for deceiving the court over the past 15 years.

Justice B. Vijayasen Reddy instructed the four-time MLA from Vemulawada constituency to pay Rs 25 lakh to the petitioner Srinivas and Rs 5 lakh to the Legal Services Authority.

In compliance with the High Court's directive, Ramesh presented a Demand Draft for Rs 25 lakh to Srinivas and Rs 5 lakh to the Legal Services Authority.

Srinivas shared with the media that this case demonstrated that truth prevails. He noted that Ramesh secured Indian citizenship through deceptive means to contest the 2009 election and was victorious against him, adding that he had been pursuing justice ever since.

Currently the MLA from Vemulawada in Rajanna Sircilla district, Srinivas stated that the constituents are now aware of Ramesh's true character. He demanded an apology from Ramesh for deceiving the public.

The High Court expressed its frustration towards Ramesh for concealing his German citizenship with false documentation and imposed a significant penalty.

This ruling stemmed from a writ petition filed by Ramesh, contesting the cancellation of his Indian citizenship by the Central government.

Ramesh's Indian citizenship has been contentious since 2009, when he was first elected as an MLA on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket.

In 2019, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification revoking his Indian citizenship. Ramesh subsequently challenged this in the High Court.

In January of last year, Additional Solicitor General B. Narasimha Sharma informed the High Court that Ramesh possessed a valid German passport, which he renewed until 2033.

According to a report from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Ramesh traveled to Germany three times in 2023 using his German passport.

The Ministry of Home Affairs canceled Ramesh's Indian citizenship in November 2019, citing that he held German citizenship and did not meet the requirements for obtaining Indian citizenship in 2009.

Ramesh moved to Germany for work in the early 1990s and obtained German citizenship in 1993 after surrendering his Indian passport. He returned to India in 2008 and applied for Indian citizenship, which was granted by the MHA. He won the Vemulawada Assembly seat in the 2009 elections.

According to the Citizenship Act, an individual applying for Indian citizenship must reside in India for a minimum of 12 months prior to the application date. However, Adi Srinivas lodged a complaint with the MHA, alleging that Ramesh retained his German passport and traveled to Germany within the stipulated 12-month period before receiving Indian citizenship.

Ramesh retained his Vemulawada seat in a 2010 by-election, contesting as a candidate for TRS (now BRS). He was reelected from the same constituency on a BRS ticket in 2014.

In September 2017, the MHA revoked Ramesh's citizenship. However, he filed a review petition with the MHA and later approached the High Court to obtain a stay order. He subsequently contested the Assembly elections again in December 2018 and secured his fourth consecutive win from the same constituency.

In the elections held in November 2023, the BRS denied Ramesh a ticket, choosing to field Lakshmi Narasimha Rao. Ramesh lost to Aadi Srinivas of the Congress party.