Possessing Aadhaar, PAN Or Voter ID Doesn’t Make Person An Indian Citizen: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said that a person does not become a citizen of India merely by possessing documents like an Aadhaar card, PAN card, or a voter ID.

While refusing bail to an alleged Bangladeshi man for entering India illegally, a bench of Justice Amit Borkar provisions of the Citizenship Act lay down who can be a citizen of India and how citizenship can be acquired, and documents such as the Aadhaar card, PAN card and EPIC are only meant for identification or availing services, news agency PTI reported.

“Merely having documents such as Aadhaar card, PAN card or voter ID does not, by itself, make someone a citizen of India. These documents are meant for identification or availing services, but they do not override the basic legal requirements of citizenship as prescribed in the Citizenship Act," the High Court said.