Congress MP and former party president Sonia Gandhi received relief from a Delhi court on Thursday after it dismissed a plea alleging that her name was included in the voters’ list three years before she became an Indian citizen.

The plea, filed by Vikas Tripathi, claimed that Sonia Gandhi’s name was added to the electoral roll in 1980, whereas she officially acquired Indian citizenship in 1983.

Tripathi alleged that her name was included through forged documents, pointing out that it was later deleted in 1982 and re-entered in 1983. The petitioner sought registration of a first information report (FIR) under Section 175 (4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which allows a magistrate to order an investigation.

Senior advocate Pavan Narang, representing Tripathi, argued that Gandhi’s application for citizenship was dated April 1983, raising questions about how her name appeared on the electoral roll of the New Delhi constituency in 1980.

The controversy over Sonia Gandhi’s electoral roll entry was first raised years ago by BJP leaders. BJP MP Anurag Thakur had alleged that her inclusion was a violation of electoral law, and BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared a copy of the 1980 electoral roll on X (formerly Twitter), claiming it supported the party’s charge.

Malviya said the inclusion was “a clear violation of the law” since only Indian citizens are eligible to be registered as voters.

The Rouse Avenue Court, however, rejected the plea outright, stating, “We have dismissed it,” effectively bringing temporary relief to the Congress MP.