Why in the News?
Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs cancelled the citizenship of TRS MLA from Vemulawada in north Telangana Chennamaneni Ramesh. His citizenship has been cancelled on the ground of misrepresentation of facts at the time of applying for citizenship in 2008.
What is the issue?
C. Ramesh-a son of freedom fighter parents, had been living in Germany since 1993, applied for Indian citizenship on March 31, 2008 and was granted the same on February 4, 2009. On June 15, 2009, Congress leader Adi Srinivas filed a revision application, raising objection to the grant of citizenship to Ramesh . He pointed out that Ramesh had retained his German citizenship, and had travelled to Germany in the year preceding the date of his application for Indian citizenship, which was in violation of The Citizenship Act, 1955.
On what ground citizenship revoked?
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, in his application for citizenship filed on March 31, 2008, he did not disclose that he had not lived in India for 12 months before the date of the application, even though he had made multiple trips to Germany during this period.
What are the provisions?
- According to Section 5(1)(f) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 , “…the Central Government may, on an application made in this behalf, register as a citizen of India any person …if a person of full age and capacity who, or either of his parents, was earlier citizen of independent India, and has been residing in India for one year immediately before making an application for registration.”
- Section 10(2) of the act says: “Subject to the provisions of this section, the Central Government may, by order, deprive any such citizen of Indian citizenship, if it is satisfied that the registration or certificate of naturalisation was obtained by means of fraud, false representation or the concealment of any material fact.” (Source: The Indian Express)
