Telangana HC rules former MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh a German citizen, slaps Rs.30L fine

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has dismissed former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh’s plea challenging the Central Government’s decision to revoke his Indian citizenship. The court ordered that Ramesh holds German citizenship and imposed a ₹30 lakh fine for misleading the judiciary with false documents over the past 15 years.
Ramesh, born on February 3, 1956, in Karimnagar, moved to Germany in the early 1990s and acquired German citizenship in 1993, surrendering his Indian passport. He returned to India in 2008 and applied for Indian citizenship, which was granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Ramesh entered politics and was elected as the MLA for Vemulawada in 2009.
The legitimacy of his Indian citizenship came into question after Congress candidate Adi Srinivas, whom Ramesh defeated in the 2009 elections, filed a petition alleging false information regarding Ramesh’s citizenship status. An MHA investigation revealed that Ramesh had not met the required 12-month residency period before applying for Indian citizenship. As a result, the MHA revoked his citizenship in 2017, reaffirming the decision in 2019. Ramesh challenged the revocation in the High Court, leading to the final ruling.
In its verdict, the High Court criticised Ramesh for submitting falsified documents and misleading the court. The court directed him to pay ₹25 lakh to Adi Srinivas, the current MLA from Vemulawada, and ₹5 lakh to the Telangana State Legal Services Authority. The fine must be paid within one month.
#Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Monday imposed a fine of Rs. 30 lakh on former BRS leader #ChennamaneniRamesh while hearing a petition filed by the Congress’ #AadiSrinivas.
The court rapped Ramesh, who is a #German citizen, for misleading the court with false information… pic.twitter.com/rgcdI3MAOa
— Hyderabad Mail (@Hyderabad_Mail) December 9, 2024