The controversy surrounding Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, has sparked a debate on India's citizenship and passport rules.
According to the Passports Act, 1967, authorities can impound passports if someone is in 'wrongful possession' or if the passport is obtained improperly.
Section 12 penalises fraud, concealment, or misuse of passports, and holding multiple passports can attract legal action.
India does not permit dual citizenship, and under Section 9 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, an Indian citizen automatically loses citizenship if they voluntarily acquire citizenship of another country.
The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) scheme allows certain persons of Indian origin to live and work in India with a lifelong visa, but it is not citizenship and does not grant political rights.
According to Rule 30 of the Citizenship Rules, 1956, holding a foreign passport is treated as proof that a person has taken foreign citizenship, making it illegal to hold both an Indian passport and a foreign passport at the same time.
