NEW DELHI: A Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA's citizenship was revoked by the Union Home Ministry after it was found that he also held a German passport. Ramesh Chennamaneni from Vemulawada, Telangana, had reportedly obtained Indian citizenship after submitting “fake documents”. He was elected thrice to assembly, including in a by-election. A home ministry official said Chennamaneni's citizenship was cancelled after a court-directed investigation found that he was a German national.
The investigation was initiated after the MLA's political rival first approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court challenging the election of the TRS leader to the assembly saying he was a German passport holder. It was later found that the MLA had never stayed in India for more than 12 months to become Indian national as required under the Foreigners Act, and also held German citizenship. Chennamaneni was first elected to the assembly of the undivided Andhra Pradesh on a TDP ticket in 2009. He later shifted his loyalties to the TRS and resigned his seat and contested and won from the same constituency as a TRS candidate in the 2010 by-election.
Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed his election in 2013, but Chennamaneni then approached the Supreme Court and obtained a stay. He contested the 2014 assembly election on a TRS ticket from Telangana and won again, all while the stay order was in operation.
