2.25 lakh Indians renounced citizenship in 2022: Govt
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament on Thursday, 9 February, that over 2.25 lakh Indians has renounced their citizenship in 2022, the highest figure since 2011.
He added that the lowest number was seen in 2020, when close to 85,000 people renounced their Indian citizenship.
The earlier data by Ministry reads as follows;
- 2015: 1,31,489
- 2016: 1,41,603
- 2017: 1,33,049
- 2018: 1,34,561
- 2019: 1,44,017
Where did they go?
The ministry said that Indians who got rid of their Indian citizenship over the last three years have taken up the citizenship in over 130 countries, including Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Iran, Pakistan, USA, UAE, China, Canada, UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belarus, Belize, Panama, and Ukraine.
Constitutional provision relating to acquiring of Citizenship:
Part II of Indian Constitution under head of Article 5 to 11 deals with the provision of acquiring and giving up of citizenship. However, it is to be noted that the term “Citizen” is nowhere defined.
Modes of acquiring Citizenship:
1)By Birth:
The act specifies and gives citizenship to people who are born in India on or after the making of the Constitution, but before July 1, 1987. Furthermore, people born after July 1, 1987, should have either of their parents as a citizen of India, when they were born.
The ones born after December 3, 2004, shouldn’t have parents that are illegal migrants or either of them should have citizenship.
2)By Descent:
A person born on or after January 26, 1950, but before December 10, 1992, outside India, should be treated as a citizen if his father had citizenship at the time of his birth.
A person who is born outside India after December 10, 1992, is considered a citizen of India if either his mother or father holds citizenship at the time of his birth.
3)By Registration:
A person can be registered as a citizen of India if he is an ordinary resident of India for seven years before the application, resident of undivided India and who is married to a citizen of India.
Apart from this category of people, minor children of persons having citizenship, a person of full age and capacity whose either of the parents is a citizen of India and person registered as an overseas citizen of India can also register as citizens of India.
4)By Naturalization:
A certificate of naturalized citizenship cannot be granted to a person if he belongs to that country where there are preventions on the acquisition of citizenship by the Indian people.
He may get citizenship if he has good character and adequate knowledge of a language that is mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
5)By Incorporation of Territory:
You can understand this better with an example, when Pondicherry became a part of India, the population living there became citizens of India. Likewise, If any territory becomes a part of our country, all the population living there becomes a part of our country, thus upholding the acquisition of Citizenship.
How one can Lose Citizenship?
- Renunciation
- Deprivation
- Termination
- Renunciation (Section 8):
An Indian Citizen of full age and capacity can renounce his Indian citizenship by making a declaration to that effect and having it registered. But if such a declaration is made during any war in which India is engaged, the registration shall be withheld until the Central Government otherwise directs. When a male person renounces his citizenship, every minor child of him ceases to be an Indian citizen. Such a child may, however, resume Indian citizenship if he makes a declaration to that effect within a year of his attaining full age, i.e. 18 years.
- Termination Of Citizenship [Section 9]
If a citizen of India voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country, he shall cease to be a citizen of India. During the war period, this provision does not apply to a citizen of India, who acquires the citizenship of another country in which India may be engaged voluntarily. If any question arises as to whether, when or how any person has acquired the citizenship of another country, it is to be determined by such authority and in such manner as may be prescribed by the rules.
- Deprivation Of Citizenship [Section 10]
Deprivation is a compulsory termination of citizenship of India. A citizen of India by naturalization, registration, domicile and residence, may be deprived of his citizenship by an order of the Central Government if it is satisfied that:
- The citizen has obtained the citizenship by means of fraud, false representation or concealment of any material fact;
- The citizen has shown disloyalty to the Constitution of India;
- The citizen has unlawfully traded or communicated with the enemy during a war;
- The citizen has, within five years after registration or neutralization, been imprisoned in any country for two years;
- The citizen has been ordinarily resident out of India for seven years continuously.
