The Telangana High Court ruled on Monday that former BRS leader Chennamaneni Ramesh, a German citizen, used forged documents to falsely present himself as an Indian national in order to contest the Vemulawada Assembly seat.

The ruling came in response to a petition filed by Congress leader Aadi Srinivas. The court found that Ramesh had failed to provide proof from the German embassy confirming he was no longer a citizen of Germany.

As a result, the court imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh, with ₹25 lakh to be paid to Mr. Srinivas, against whom Ramesh lost the November 2023 election.

In a celebratory post on X, Mr Srinivas said, "Backlash to former MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh... 30 lakhs fined to Ramesh who was elected MLA with false documents as a German citizen..."

Mr. Ramesh had previously won the Vemulawada Assembly seat four times—once in 2009 as a member of the Telugu Desam Party, and then three more times between 2010 and 2018, including in a bypoll after he switched parties.

Under Indian law, non-Indian citizens are prohibited from contesting or voting in elections.

In 2020, the central government informed the Telangana High Court that Mr. Ramesh held a German passport valid until 2023. The Union Home Ministry had also issued an order revoking his Indian citizenship, citing that he had concealed facts in his application.

The Home Ministry said, "His (Mr Ramesh's) misrepresentation/concealment of fact misled the Government of India... Had he revealed he had not resided in India for one year before making the application, the competent authority in this ministry would not have granted citizenship..."

Mr. Ramesh later filed a petition challenging the Home Ministry's order. The court instructed him to submit an affidavit providing details regarding the surrender of his German passport, along with proof that he had renounced his German citizenship.

In 2013, the then-undivided Andhra Pradesh High Court had annulled his bypoll victory for the same reason. Mr. Ramesh subsequently approached the Supreme Court and secured a stay. While the stay was in effect, he contested and won the 2014 and 2018 elections.