Article 9 of Indian Constitution prohibits dual citizenship to Indians voluntarily acquiring citizenship of a foreign state.- An Indian applying for foreign citizenship on any grounds will lose the Indian citizenship by default.
- With more than 15.5 million Indian residing outside India on personal and professional reasons, there are calls to amend Article 9 to enable dual citizenship.
The Citizenship Act of 1955 and the subsequent amendments made to it deal with how citizenship in India are acquired or terminated. Article 9 has references to persons who apply for citizenship in a foreign country and defines what happens to their Indian citizenship in such cases.
Why citizenship is important
By virtue of his or her citizenship, a person gets to enjoy the full membership to the given country. The rights that come with citizenship are civil and political rights, legal relationship of the individual to the country, a pledge of his or her loyalty to the state and its interests, duties like paying taxes, serving in the army whenever needed; and respecting and taking pride in the national principles and the country’s values.
What Article 9 means to persons living outside India
Article 9 talks of loss of citizenship which goes with acquisition of the citizenship of another country. As per Article 9, an Indian voluntarily or knowingly acquiring citizenship in a foreign country will lose his or her Indian citizenship. The loss can happen under these three conditions.
-Loss of citizenship by renunciation
A person will lose Indian citizenship if they declare their willingness to renounce Indian citizenship.
-Loss of citizenship by termination
The citizenship of a person will be terminated by default if he or she voluntarily or knowingly becomes the citizen of a foreign country.
Since Article 9 does not give room for dual citizenship, it has become a matter of concern for foreign nationals who face the need of applying for citizenship in other countries on personal or professional reasons.
Why Indians Living Outside India Are Pressing For A Change
UN World Migration report 2018 says more than 15.5 million Indians live outside India for personal and professional reasons. While it is easy to take citizenship of a foreign country, these people do not want to lose their Indian citizenship for having to apply for foreign citizenship due to some arising needs.
A sizable community of Indians taking up citizenship in other countries, claim that this will limit their scope. In the recent past, there are a mounting number of pleas to bring about an amendment to Article 9 and legally permit dual citizenship for Indians so that they can participate in the democratic process even after acquiring the citizenship of a foreign nation.