Analysing citizenship rights in India

Abstract

Citizenship is the legal contract, the legal institution which provides/grants an individual membership in a nation. The membership comes along with a set of rights and duties for the individual, which are defined by the state. It forms the basis of the relationship between an individual and the state. It helps the state monitor the society better through the identification of individuals (or groups of them) who would be granted rights and privileges and have obligations to the state. With the passage of time, an increased degree of sovereignty and increased cross-national movements, it has become increasingly important for states to clearly lay down guidelines to identify people as its citizens and otherwise for the efficient performance of their key functions. For individuals (several not all), over time, citizenship from not being extensively important, has evolved to become a crucial part of their socio-political identity. Under this study, we first look to understand the citizenship laws from across the world and the underlying principles that dominate the laws in this domain. From there, we proceed to look at the evolution of citizenship rights in India since independence, how the conception of citizenship has evolved while making a note of the context. Towards the end, we look at NRC and CAA in greater detail with a considerable focus on the former, courtesy conversations with a ground official.