Centre silent on citizenship documents as exclusion of EC-issued voter ID keeps over 60 lakh off rolls

Despite citizenship being categorised under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and its rules, the Central Government has not specified what documents are required to prove citizenship, while the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has excluded the Election Commission-issued voter ID card as proof and retained the birth certificate, under which more than sixty lakh people have lost their right to vote.

The Union Home Ministry, in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, did not provide the categories of valid documents to establish Indian citizenship, instead referring to the legal provisions for acquiring citizenship through birth, descent, registration, naturalisation or incorporation of territory.

The query, raised by a Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) member, also sought information on the total number of birth certificates issued over the last twenty-five years, along with data on low coverage of birth and death certificate issuance in comparison to actual births and deaths, The Wire reported.

While the Ministry provided a state-wise and national breakdown of registered births during the period, it did not address which documents are officially recognised for citizenship verification.

In Bihar, the SIR exercise has listed eleven documents for inclusion in the electoral rolls, with the birth certificate among them, but excluding the Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration card. The absence of the voter ID card as proof is particularly significant given the Election Commission’s stated authority to scrutinise citizenship, a point that has been debated in the Supreme Court, which noted that such determinations fall under the purview of the Home Ministry.

The removal of more than sixty lakh names from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar has raised questions about the criteria used for exclusion, with no official clarity on the grounds for each case.

In Assam, reports have documented instances of evicted Muslim families being struck off the electoral rolls, leaving them without valid voter ID cards, which further underscores the importance of knowing what documents are deemed acceptable for proving citizenship.