'Passports Issued Only To Indian Citizens': Centre Responds To MP Abdul Wahab's Query Over If It Constitutes Conclusive Proof Of Indian citizenship
New Delhi: The Union Government on Friday, responded Kerala MP Abdul Wahab’s queries regarding the whether the Indian passport constitutes conclusive proof of Indian citizenship.
In a written reply, the Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said an Indian passport is issued by the Government of India under the Passports Act, 1967, to regulate the departure of Indian citizens from the country. The passport is issued only after due verification through an established process, and it is issued only to Indian citizens under the provisions of the Passports Act. However, the reply does not specifically clarifies that the Indian passport constitutes conclusive proof of Indian citizenship.
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When asked whether acquisition of foreign citizenship automatically results in the cessation of Indian citizenship and cancellation of the Indian passport, the Centre clarified that the provisions of Article 9 and 11 of the Constitution of India does not allow dual citizenship.
“The Government of India has been continuously improving passport services to ensure efficient, transparent, and accessible public service delivery under the Passports Act, 1967, and the rules framed thereunder,” the union minister added. The minister was responding to the MP’s query regarding the government’s efforts to review India’s citizenship and passport framework in line with international practices.
However, though the government states that only Indian citizens are eligible to get Indian passport, it does not recognise passport as conclusive, standalone legal proof of citizenship, as per the a recent remark from a central official.
