In India, the power to grant citizenship lies with which of the following?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

Supreme Court Junior Court Assistant Official Paper (Held On: 13 Apr, 2025)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Ministry of Home Affairs.

Key Points

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is responsible for overseeing citizenship matters in India under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Citizenship can be acquired through birth, descent, registration, naturalization, or incorporation of territory as specified under the Act.
The MHA processes applications for citizenship and grants approval after verifying all legal requirements.
Indian citizenship policies are governed by the Constitution of India and the Citizenship Act, ensuring adherence to legal and constitutional provisions.
Amendments to the Citizenship Act, such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, are also implemented and administered by the MHA.

Additional Information

Citizenship Act, 1955:
- This Act lays down the legal framework for acquiring, renouncing, and terminating Indian citizenship.
- The Act has been amended multiple times, the latest being the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
- It defines provisions for citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalization, and incorporation of territory.
Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019:
- This amendment allows fast-track citizenship for persecuted minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians) from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
- It applies only to individuals who entered India before December 31, 2014.
- The Act excludes Muslims from its provisions, leading to significant debate and protests.
Dual Citizenship in India:
- India does not allow dual citizenship. Individuals must renounce their previous nationality to acquire Indian citizenship.
- However, the government offers the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card for people of Indian origin living abroad.
Role of State Governments:
- State governments assist the MHA in verifying local records and processing citizenship applications.
- However, the final authority to grant citizenship lies solely with the Ministry of Home Affairs.