When the government chooses to either ignore or use identity documents only when it suits them, it shakes people's sense of stability, notes Shyam G Menon.
The final NRC, a list of Indian citizens residing in Assam, was released in 2019 by excluding 19,06,657 people. However, it has not been notified by the Registrar General of India, leaving the controversial document without any official validity.
The Bombay High Court has ruled that Indian citizens do not have a fundamental right to adopt a child of American nationality, even from among relatives, unless the child is in need of care and protection or in conflict with the law.
Security agencies have gathered evidence, including Pakistani government documents and biometric data, confirming that the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were Pakistani nationals.
'Today, the State looks at everyone with suspicion.'
The Supreme Court has stated it will intervene if there is mass exclusion in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, emphasizing the Election Commission's role as a constitutional authority.
Underscoring the 'presumption of genuineness' of Aadhaar and voter ID, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the publication of draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and said it would once and for all decide pleas against Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.
Eligible applicants under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) will be granted Indian nationality with retrospective effect as specified in the law, officials said on Tuesday.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
'Talking about boycotting polls is simply a move to galvanise party leaders, workers, and supporters for the big political fight.'
Eighteen Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad have been granted Indian citizenship during a camp attended by Gujarat minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi.
Amid a storm surrounding his collaboration with Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh has taken to social media with a cryptic message.
After the plane crash incident, Imtiyaz and his uncle rushed to Ahmedabad to help the authorities in the identification of victims by providing their DNA samples.
The court observed that protection of the floodplains aimed to secure the fundamental human right to a clean and healthy environment for Delhi residents and future generations.
This second tranche of citizenship certificates were issued on Wednesday, days before the final phase of voting for Lok Sabha polls on June 1.
A fresh political row has erupted in West Bengal after a person allegedly involved in Bangladesh's August 2024 student protests was found listed as a voter in Kakdwip, triggering sharp Bharatiya Janata Party-Trinamool Congress exchanges over alleged illegal infiltration and manipulation of the voter list in the state.
July 23 is the last date to apply to the Rhodes Scholarships for India.
A mobile app 'CAA-2019' will also be launched shortly to facilitate applications through mobile app.
Sana, an Indian woman married to a Pakistani doctor, was forced to hand over her two young children to their father at the Attari border due to visa restrictions imposed by the Indian government following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Sana, who entered India on a 45-day visa, is unable to return to Pakistan as she is not yet a Pakistani citizen and the process could take another four years. The Indian government revoked the visas of Pakistani nationals on Short-Term Visas, leading to the separation of families at the border.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain refugees by giving them citizenship through Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday and maintained there is no provision of stripping of anyone's citizenship in the new law.
All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey said the governing body has been actively working on policies to integrate Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) players into the national team setup.
Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila are experiencing anxiety over their visa status despite government clarifications regarding Long Term Visas (LTVs). The government's decision to revoke all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, has left many refugees worried about their future. While LTVs for Hindu Pakistani nationals remain valid, the renewal process every two years and ongoing citizenship applications under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, have fueled concerns. The Delhi Police has initiated a verification drive, adding to the unease among the refugees, who fear being uprooted yet again. The article highlights the plight of these refugees, who have fled Pakistan seeking a better life in India, and the uncertainties they face in the current political climate.
Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections.
The citizenship rights will protect their cultural, linguistic, and social identity and it will also ensure economic, commercial, free movement, and property purchase rights.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday said BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's plea, seeking directions to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to decide his representation seeking cancellation of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Indian citizenship, be treated a public interest litigation.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the passport issued to former Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, citing his attempt to avoid extradition. Modi had applied to surrender his Indian passport to the Indian High Commission in London, but the Vanuatu government stated that Interpol twice rejected India's request for an alert notice due to lack of evidence. The statement emphasized that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must seek citizenship for legitimate reasons, which does not include evading extradition.
There is no guarantee that if we speak in only Indian languages, all our faults will be washed away and India will shine. Why then do they bully and belittle the English-speaking? asks Shyam G Menon.
Delighted by the Centre's move to notify the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), nearly 2,000 Pakistani Hindus living in Nagpur are preparing to seek Indian citizenship.
Immigration officials on Monday detained Mohsen Mahdawi, an organiser of pro-Palestinian protests last year at Columbia University, after he arrived at the Vermont immigration office, hoping to begin the final step to becoming a US citizen, CNN reported.
Sharada Kukreja, a Pakistani woman living in Odisha for 35 years after marrying an Indian citizen, has been served a notice to leave the country. She has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi to stop her deportation, citing her long-standing ties to India and family here. Sharada fled Pakistan to escape forced conversion and marriage, and despite having an Aadhaar card and participating in elections, she has not been granted Indian citizenship. The Odisha government has identified 12 Pakistani nationals residing in the state and asked them to leave by April 27. Another Pakistani woman in Bhubaneswar also received a country exit permit on Saturday.
The Centre has defended in the Delhi high court its decision to cancel the overseas citizen of India (OCI) card of United States-based journalist Raphael Satter saying he maligned Indian institutions in the international arena through journalistic activities.
The order also highlights further disparities, citing examples of Denmark and Sweden restricting mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person and rejecting late-arriving ballots regardless of postmark, while many US states have embraced widespread mail-in voting, with some accepting ballots without postmarks or those arriving well after Election Day.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, a former anti-apartheid activist and freedom fighter, responded to Trump's claims at their meeting in the Oval Office diplomatically, countering Trump's assertions.
These super-rich Indians intend to reside in their chosen host country permanently while retaining their Indian citizenship.
President Vladimir Putin has thanked Palestinian group Hamas for releasing three Russian hostages captivated during the October 2023 attack on Israel.
Pakistan has denied any connection to Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana, a Canadian national, has not renewed his Pakistani documents for over two decades, according to the Foreign Office spokesperson.
His comments come against the backdrop of a campaign by Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, which has claimed that applying for CAA would turn legal citizens into foreigners.
Seema Haider, who left Pakistan to marry her Indian lover, Sachin Meena, fears deportation after India suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals. Haider, who illegally entered India via Nepal, claims she has adopted Hinduism and is no longer a Pakistani citizen. Her lawyer is hopeful she will be allowed to stay in India.
For the first time in their lives, 186 Pakistani Hindu refugees in Delhi cast their votes in the Delhi Assembly polls, marking a significant moment in their journey towards citizenship. Having received Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, they expressed hope for a better future with permanent homes and stable livelihoods. The refugees, who have lived in makeshift shelters and struggled with daily wage work for decades, felt a sense of belonging and empowerment after exercising their voting right.
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