High Court Ruling Deals Major Blow to Former MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh, Orders ₹30 Lakh Penalty Over German Citizenship Claims
(Judicial Quest News Network)
In a significant setback for former Vimalvada MLA Chinnamani Ramesh, the Telangana High Court on Monday imposed a hefty penalty of ₹30 lakh after rejecting his challenge to a 2019 Central Government order that revoked his Indian citizenship. The ruling comes after a prolonged legal battle over Ramesh’s claims regarding his German citizenship.
The verdict, delivered by Justice Vijay Sen Reddy, dismissed a writ petition filed by Ramesh, who had contested the central government’s decision to annul his Indian citizenship. Ramesh had previously applied for Indian citizenship in 2008 while allegedly holding German citizenship. Despite this, he failed to provide any evidence that he had renounced his German citizenship, as he had claimed in the court. The judge emphasized that Ramesh’s inability to produce documentation confirming his renunciation of German nationality was a critical factor in the court’s decision.
As part of the ruling, Ramesh was ordered to pay a total of ₹30 lakh as legal costs. Of this amount, ₹25 lakh will be directed to Adi Srinivas, the current MLA for Vimal Wala, who represents the ruling Congress party, while the remaining ₹5 lakh will be allocated to the Telangana State Legal Services Authority.
The legal battle over Ramesh’s citizenship has been ongoing for years, with Adi Srinivas raising concerns about Ramesh’s German citizenship as early as 2009. Srinivas first filed a petition before the Ministry of Home Affairs in an attempt to challenge Ramesh’s claims of Indian nationality, especially as Ramesh continued to contest elections while allegedly holding dual citizenship.
Ramesh, the son of Ch. Rajeshwar Rao, a former CPI floor leader in undivided Andhra Pradesh who later joined the Telugu Desam Party, has had a varied political career. He was elected as the MLA for Vimulavada in 2009 on a TDP ticket, and later won subsequent elections in 2010, 2014, and 2019 as a candidate of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), now known as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS).
In contrast, Adi Srinivas, a Congress party candidate, had contested the Vimal Wala seat in 2009, 2014, and 2018, but was defeated by Ramesh on each occasion. However, Srinivas emerged victorious in the 2023 elections, running as a candidate for the Congress party.
Throughout the legal proceedings, Srinivas had consistently questioned Ramesh’s citizenship status, arguing that Ramesh had concealed his German nationality while contesting elections in India. Ramesh’s failure to address these concerns adequately in court contributed to the High Court’s decision to impose the ₹30 lakh penalty.
This ruling has brought the long-running controversy over Ramesh’s citizenship to a dramatic conclusion, underscoring the significance of transparency and the need for public officials to comply with legal requirements regarding nationality.
