Supreme Court questions Vanuatu citizenship application & more related news here

The Supreme Court was skeptical Tuesday of an unusual citizenship claim during a bail plea hearing. The accused, who claimed to be a citizen of Vanuatu, faced scrutiny from a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria.

The court questioned the authenticity of Vanuatu as a legitimate citizenship, comparing it to ‘Kailasa’, a fictitious country that was supposedly established by self-proclaimed god Nithyananda in 2019. The accused, who is facing a cheating case and has already been granted bail in four other cases, has been in custody for more than a year.

When asked about the timeline for the trial’s conclusion, the state’s attorney suggested it be completed within six to eight months. After deliberation, the petitioner’s attorney moved to withdraw the statement, which led to the court dismissing the statement as having been withdrawn.

(With contributions from agencies).