MUMBAI: A magistrate court has recently held that original election cards are proof of citizenship. This order was passed this week while acquitting a Mankhurd couple arrested in 2017 on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals illegally living in India. The court held a birth certificate, a domicile certificate, a bona fide certificate and a passport can be relied upon to establish the origin of any person. “Even the election card (voting card) can be said to be sufficient proof of citizenship as while applying for the election card or a voting card, a person has to file a declaration with the authority in view of Form 6 of Peoples Representation Act to the authority that he is a citizen of India and if the declaration is found false, he is liable for punishment,” the court said.
In its order reported by The Times of India, the court further said the documents submitted by the accused, Abbas Shaikh (45) and Rabiya Shaikh (40), were not rebutted by the prosecution or proven to be fake. “It is necessary to mention that the person may lie but the documents will never,” the court said.
The court clarified that Aadhar card, PAN card, driving licence or ration card cannot be termed as the documents proving citizenship as they are not meant for the purpose.