Latvian parliament reverses citizenship grant to Indian-born scientist

Latvia’s parliament on Thursday passed an urgent law revoking the citizenship grant to Indian-born scientist Divya Kannan Vishwanath, LSM reported.

Parliament had granted Vishwanath Latvian citizenship on October 15, citing her contributions to science, pharmaceuticals, business and innovation. The new law cancels that decision from the moment it was adopted.

The move followed social media posts suggesting that Vishwanath may have provided false information about herself. New Unity party MPs proposed invalidating the law that had granted her citizenship for special services to Latvia, saying doubts had emerged about whether the information given to parliament was complete.

Before the vote, parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee found technical shortcomings in the draft. MPs instead approved an alternative bill prepared by the committee. Its authors said the Latvian Academy of Sciences may have misled lawmakers. The academy had recommended granting Vishwanath citizenship and, according to the bill’s explanatory note, was responsible for promptly advising parliament on scientific matters.

The National Alliance had also submitted a similar proposal to revoke the citizenship grant.