4-time MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh is a German national, declares Telangana HC

The Telangana High Court on Monday ruled that former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh is a German national and that he used forged documents to contest elections, according to a Times of India report.

 

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Ramesh for suppressing critical information about his German citizenship and misleading the judiciary.

 

In his order, Justice B Vijaysen Reddy highlighted that Ramesh had misrepresented key facts when applying for Indian citizenship in 2008, failing to disclose his existing German nationality.

 

According to the report, the Union Home Ministry had already annulled Ramesh’s citizenship in 2019 due to these misrepresentations. The High Court upheld that order, stating Ramesh was not stateless as he possessed a valid German passport, renewed until 2033. Evidence also showed Ramesh had visited Germany three times in 2023.

 

Ramesh, a four-time MLA from the Vemulawada constituency, had been embroiled in a long-standing legal dispute over his citizenship. Adi Srinivas, a Congress MLA from Vemulawada, first brought the issue to light, alleging Ramesh’s continued retention of German citizenship while holding an Indian passport.

 

The court noted that this act had compromised the electoral rights of genuine Indian citizens and barred dual citizenship under Indian law.

 

As part of the penalty, Ramesh must pay Rs 25 lakh to Adi Srinivas to cover legal expenses and an additional Rs 5 lakh to the Telangana High Court Legal Services Authority within a month.

 

The judgment underscores the legal importance of transparency in citizenship declarations, especially for public office holders, reinforcing that anyone not holding Indian citizenship is ineligible to contest elections or vote, as stipulated by the Representation of the People Act.