The recent changes to India’s Citizenship Act have dubbed ineligible for the Indian card any person, who was once been a citizen of either Bangladesh or Pakistan.
UNB reports that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2011, which was endorsed by the parliament last week, also scrapped entitlement of card-holders to get equality of opportunity in employment, contend as president or vice president, and appointment as a judge in Supreme or High courts.
The overseas cardholders would also not be allowed to register as voters and become members of the legislature anywhere in India.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2011, which was passed by Parliament last week, provides for registration as an overseas Indian card holder if the person is a citizen of another country but was a citizen of India at the time or at anytime after the commencement of the Constitution.
A citizen of another country eligible to become a citizen of India at the commencement of the Constitution, citizen of another country but who belonged to a territory that became part of India after August 15, 1947 will also be eligible for registration as an Overseas Indian card holder.
“No person who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the central government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, shall be eligible for registration as an overseas Indian card holder,” the bill, which seeks to remove certain lacunae relating to overseas Indian citizens, says.
It also provides for registration of a spouse of an Indian citizen, who is a citizen of another country and whose marriage is also registered abroad.
The bill also empowers the central government to relax the 12-month residency requirement for citizenship by the process of naturalisation.
