Kathmandu – A fresh political and legal debate has erupted in India after the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that a passport is only a travel document and not conclusive proof of Indian citizenship.
The clarification was made during the 14th Passport Seva Divas on June 24 when a senior ministry official said passports are issued after thorough verification but are primarily intended to facilitate international travel and certify the holder’s nationality abroad. The ministry said this interpretation is consistent with the Passport Act and long-standing judicial rulings.
The issue gained attention after opposition leaders questioned the government’s position. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described it as a “ridiculous legal contradiction” and argued that passports should be legally recognized as definitive proof of citizenship. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) also questioned what document citizens should rely on if passports are not accepted as proof of citizenship.
The government’s position is not new. In a 2020 reply to Parliament, the Ministry of Home Affairs said citizenship is acquired under the Citizenship Act, 1955 through birth, descent, registration, naturalization or territorial incorporation but did not identify Aadhaar, passports, voter identity cards, PAN cards or birth certificates as conclusive proof of citizenship.
Legal experts say passports are issued under the Passport Act, 1967 and are intended to serve as travel documents rather than citizenship certificates. Courts including the Bombay High Court have also ruled that possession of a passport alone does not conclusively establish citizenship.
The debate has also renewed discussion over India’s lack of a single universally accepted document proving citizenship, even as the country recorded a record 13.7 million passport issuances in 2023.
