CHAPTER - 6 CITIZENSHIP
- India has two kinds of people – citizens and aliens. Aliens of two categories – friendly aliens or enemy aliens. They enjoy lesser rights than the friendly aliens, eg. They do not enjoy protection against arrest and detension (Article 22).
- The Constitution confers the following rights and privileges on the citizens of India (and denies the same to aliens): Article 15, 16, 19,29, 30. Right to vote. Right to contest for the membership of the Parliament and the state legislature.
- Eligibility to hold certain public offices that is, President of India,Vice-President of India, judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts, governor of state, attorney general of India and advocate general of states.
- In India both a citizen by birth as well as a naturalized citizen are eligible for the office of President while in USA, only a citizen by birth and not a naturalized citizen.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
- The Constitution deals with the citizenship from Articles 5 to 11 under Part II. It empowers the Parliament to enact a law to provide, the Parliament has enacted the Citizenship Act, 1955, which has been amended in 1986, 1992, 2003 and 2005.
CITIZENSHIP ACT, 1955
Acquisition of Citizenship
- By Birth
- By Descent
- By Registration
- ByNaturalisation
- By Incorporation of Territory
Loss of Citizenship
- By Renunciation
- By Termination
- By Deprivation