Justice B Vijayasen Reddy criticized Ramesh for submitting falsified documents to support his claim of Indian nationality. The court imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh, with ₹25 lakh to Vemulawada MLA Adi Srivas and ₹5 lakh to the Legal Services Authority
Published Dec 09, 2024 | 8:56 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 09, 2024 | 8:56 PM
Telangana High Court rules former BRS legislator Ramesh is indeed German citizen
Ringing down the curtain on the controversy over the nationality of former Vemulawada BRS MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh, the Telangana High Court on Monday, 9 December, ruled that he is a German citizen and imposed a fine of Rs.30 lakh on him for misleading the court.
High Court Justice B Vijayasen Reddy expressed his dissatisfaction over Chennamaneni Ramesh furnishing falsified documents in support of his claim that he is an Indian national. The fine is payable within a month. Of the total amount, Ramesh has to pay Rs. 25 lakh to incumbent Vemulawada MLA Adi Srivas and the remaining Rs 5 lakh to the Legal Services Authority.
In 2017, the central government annulled Ramesh’s Indian citizenship after Congress leader Adi Srinivas, who lost the assembly elections to him in 2014, filed a complaint. He alleged that Ramesh had submitted falsified documents to the centre and obtained Indian citizenship, though he was a German national.
Ramesh then moved the High Court which directed the centre to re-examine the issue. The centre obliged and held its earlier decision that he was German citizen and cancelled his Indian citizenship.
Ramesh once again moved the High Court, which stayed the operationalisation of the centre’s order. The court then asked the Centre to submit details of Ramesh’s travels to Germany. Ramesh filed a memo with the court that he had relinquished his German citizenship.
The High Court, after numerous hearings, dismissed his petition, challenging the central government’s order annulling his Indian citizenship.
Ramesh is a four time MLA. He won his first election in 2009 on a Telugu Desam ticket in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh. After joining the BRS, he resigned and won the by-election on the BRS ticket in 2010. He again won, in 2014 (after the formation of Telangana state) and in 2018 on BRS ticket. In 2023, on account of the citizenship case pending before the High Court, the BRS did not nominate him in the Assembly elections. He was later taken as advisor to the government on agriculture.
Ramesh, son of communist leader late Ch Rajeswara Rao, did his MSc in agriculture in Leipzig and obtained PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin in 1987. After relocating to Germany in the 1990s, he obtained German citizenship in 1993. In 2008, he came back to India, He applied and secured Indian citizenship to contest the elections in 2009. Though the High Court annulled his candidature for Assembly elections in a case filed by his political rival Srinivas, he obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
