Kerala High Court denies Indian Citizenship without renunciation certificate

The Kerala High Court ruled that Indian citizenship cannot be granted to foreign nationals without a Renunciation Certificate, rejecting mere surrender of passports.

The case involved two Pakistani minors whose citizenship applications were initially approved without the certificate. The court emphasized that under Section 14A of the Pakistan Citizenship Act, minors cannot renounce citizenship, making formal renunciation mandatory for India's Citizenship Act, 1955.

Granting citizenship without renunciation would amount to illegal dual citizenship. The court allowed the Central Government's appeal, clarifying that citizenship can be granted only if all statutory requirements, including renunciation, are fulfilled.

[Union of India v Rasheeda Bano and Ors.]