Madras High Court issues notice on plea to probe Saurav Das's nationality

The Madras High Court has issued notices to the Union government and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-convenor Saurav Das regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an investigation into his identity and citizenship. The petition, filed by businessman R. Ganesh Kumar, alleges that Das, also identified as Yogesh Sharma, may have Nepali roots and fraudulently obtained Indian identity documents, including a passport, Aadhaar card, and voter ID.

The petitioner further requested the cancellation of these documents if the allegations are proven. Additionally, the plea seeks directions to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block Das's social media accounts on X and Instagram, alleging he has used these platforms to make derogatory and defamatory remarks against the judiciary and Supreme Court judges.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan has requested responses from several authorities, including the Union Home Ministry, the Regional Passport Officer, and the UIDAI. The court has adjourned the matter for six weeks. The court noted that issuing notice is a preliminary step and does not constitute a finding on the merits of the allegations.