Overview
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified on 24 June 2026 that an Indian passport is a travel document, not a conclusive proof of citizenship. This statement came while answering queries about the use of passports in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.
Key Developments
- MEA senior official reiterated that a passport “attests to nationality” but does not replace a citizenship certificate.
- The Passport Act allows refusal of a passport if the applicant is not a citizen, yet Section 20 permits issuance to non‑citizens in public interest.
- Supreme Court’s 27 May 2026 judgment upheld that Aadhaar cannot be used as citizenship proof.
- Election Commission has used passports as one of the eleven ‘indicative’ documents for SIR, but it cannot adjudicate citizenship.
Important Facts
Under Section 5 of the Passport Act, a passport is issued after necessary enquiries and is required for international travel. Section 6(2)(a) empowers the authority to deny a passport to a non‑citizen, while Section 20 allows the government to issue a passport to a non‑citizen if it serves public interest.
The Citizenship Act outlines four modes of acquiring citizenship: birth, descent, registration, and naturalisation. No single document is prescribed as definitive proof; evidence varies with the mode of acquisition.
Judicial precedents such as Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978) and Lal Babu Hussein (1995) differentiate