With reference to India, consider the following statements:
- 1.There is only one citizenship and one domicile.
- 2.A citizen by birth only can become the Head of State.
- 3.A foreigner once granted the citizenship cannot be deprived of it under any circumstances.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Only statement 1 is correct: India has a single citizenship (and a single domicile, that of India), unlike federal countries that give people citizenship of both the nation and a state. Statement 2 is wrong because Article 58 requires the President to be a citizen of India, not a citizen by birth, and statement 3 is wrong because the Citizenship Act allows the Central Government to deprive some citizens of citizenship.
- ✓ 1. The Constitution provides only one citizenship, that of India; Article 5 speaks of domicile 'in the territory of India', not of any state. Some federal countries have dual citizenship; India does not.
- ✗ 2. Article 58 lists three conditions to be President: citizen of India, at least 35 years of age, and qualified to be elected to the Lok Sabha. Birth in India is not a condition, so a naturalised citizen can be eligible.
- ✗ 3. Section 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 lets the Central Government deprive a citizen who got citizenship by naturalisation or registration of it, for example where it was obtained by fraud, after giving notice. The Citizenship Rules, 2009 lay down the notice procedure.
Remember · One citizenship, one domicile. The President must be a citizen of India, not necessarily by birth. Section 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 allows deprivation of some citizens.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 7 “In some federal countries, there is even a system of dual citizenship. India has only a single citizenship.”
- Constitution of India, Article 58 (Qualifications for election as President) ↗ “No person shall be eligible for election as President unless he— (a) is a citizen of India, (b) has completed the age of thirty-five years, and (c) is qualified for election as a member of the House of the People.”
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Citizenship Rules, 2009, rule 25 (notice before deprivation of citizenship under section 10) ↗ “When it is decided to make an order under section 10 depriving a person of his citizenship of India, a notice under sub-section (4) of that section shall be given”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·