Are Aadhaar-PAN and Voter ID proof of citizenship, what Bombay High Court said amid uproar over SIR in Bihar
Bombay High Court: During a case in the Bombay High Court, Justice Amit Borkar's bench said that Aadhaar card, PAN card and voter ID are only for the purpose of identifying citizens or providing services to them.
Thje court said if a person has documents like Aadhaar card, PAN card or voter ID, it does not mean that he will become a citizen of India. The court said this while refusing bail to a person accused of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh. The person is accused of living in India for about a year by making fake documents.
Justice Amit Borkar's bench in the Bombay High Court said that the Citizenship Act clarifies who can be a citizen of India and who cannot. The Act explains how citizenship can be acquired. The bench said that Aadhaar card, PAN card and voter ID are only for the purpose of identifying citizens or providing services to them. Also, the court refused to grant bail to Babu Abdul Rauf Sardar.
Acused got all the documents prepared
Babu Abdul is accused of entering India without a valid passport or visa. After coming here, he had got all the documents prepared, including Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID and Indian passport. Justice Borkar said that the Parliament had passed the Citizenship Act in 1955, which clearly states who is a citizen and who is not, but who can become a citizen.
He said, 'In my opinion, the Citizenship Act, 1955 is the only law that defines citizenship and nationality in India. It clarifies who is a citizen, how one becomes a citizen and if there is no citizenship, then how it can be acquired.'
Justice Borkar said that just having an Aadhaar card, PAN card or voter ID does not make someone a citizen of India. These documents are there so that the citizen can be identified and services can be provided to him. The Citizenship Act, which defines nationality, cannot be rejected on the basis of these documents.
This important decision of the court has come at a time when there is a debate on the SIR of the voter list in Bihar. The bench said that the 1955 law clearly explains the difference between citizens of India and intruders. He said that people who enter India illegally have no right to acquire Indian citizenship.
He said that the distinction between a citizen and an intruder is important because it protects the sovereignty of the country. It ensures that citizens get their rights and no illegal person can acquire them. The bench ordered the investigation against the accused Bangladeshi to continue.