The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday clarified that Indian passports are issued by the government to regulate the departure of Indian citizens from the country under the Passports Act, 1967, amid an ongoing debate over whether the document can be used to verify citizenship.

The clarification came after questions were raised over whether passports could be accepted as proof of citizenship for the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted in several states.

MEA Cites Passports Act

Responding to the issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said an Indian passport is issued only to citizens of India under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967.

“An Indian passport is a document that, as per the Passports Act, 1967, is issued by the Government of India to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India,” Jaiswal said.

He added that the issuance of passports is governed by the Passports Act, 1967, and the Passports Rules, 1980, and follows an established verification process before a passport is issued.

Jaiswal also noted that fewer than 8 per cent of Indian citizens currently possess a passport.

Clarification Follows Earlier Remarks

The latest statement comes weeks after senior MEA officials, during a briefing on Passport Seva Divas on June 24, described the passport as a travel document rather than a document intended to prove citizenship.

Those remarks prompted criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Congress, which questioned how a passport issued by the Government of India to an Indian citizen could not reflect the holder’s citizenship.

Congress Criticised Earlier Position

The Congress accused the Centre of attempting to create the basis for arbitrarily denying citizenship rights to Indians with whom it disagreed.

Reiterating the government’s position on Tuesday, Jaiswal said passports are issued only after due verification in accordance with the law, while emphasising that the document is available to only a small proportion of India’s population.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share