Chennamaneni Ramesh should not be referred to as ex-MLA since he was not Indian citizen, when he won the Vemulawada Assembly elections in the past, said Congress Whip Adi Srinivas.
Speaking with mediapersons at Telangana High Court after receiving a cheque for ₹ 25 lakh, as part of the fine amount imposed on Chennamaneni Ramesh by Telangana High Court, Mr. Srinivas said he had been fighting to prove that Ramesh was not an Indian citizen, which was finally upheld by the HC. On December 9, 2024, the HC delivered a verdict declaring that Mr. Ramesh was a German citizen and had no Indian citizenship.
Mr. Ramesh was elected four times as MLA from Vemulawada. In 2009 and 2010 by-elections, he won on a Telugu Desam ticket and in 2014 and 2018 on BRS ticket. Adi Srinivas lost thrice to him before winning the election in 2023 on Congress ticket. Adi Srinivas had been claiming that Mr. Ramesh was not Indian citizen.
The verdict against Mr. Ramesh was delivered by Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy in a writ petition filed by him challenging the Union government’s decision declaring him a German citizen. “I would have become MLA a decade ago if Ramesh’s claims of being Indian citizen were proved false,” Mr. Srinivas said.
He said that Ramesh’s case could be the first of its kind in the world where he became MLA without being citizen of the country. Mr. Srinivas said that he had requested the State government to probe into the false claims of Ramesh and initiate criminal action. He said that he would approach the HC to recover the salaries and other financial benefits received by Mr. Ramesh as legislator.
Published – April 21, 2025 09:27 pm IST
