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 circumstance.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Unlike the federal system of the USA which features dual citizenship and separate state domiciles, the Indian Constitution establishes a single uniform citizenship (Indian citizenship) for the entire republic. Furthermore, the Supreme Court (*Pradeep Jain vs. Union of India, 1984*) affirmed that there is only one domicile for the entire country — the domicile of India.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Under Article 58 of the Constitution, to be eligible for election as the President (Head of State), a person must simply be ‘a citizen of India’. Both a citizen by birth and a naturalized citizen are legally eligible (unlike the United States, where only a natural-born citizen can become President).
Statement 3 is incorrect: Under Section 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, the Central Government can deprive a naturalized or registered citizen of Indian citizenship on grounds of fraud, disloyalty to the Constitution, trading with enemy states during war, or continuous residence abroad for seven years.
Therefore, only statement 1 is correct — Option A.