On Tuesday, August 12, the Bombay High Court said that a person does not become a citizen of India merely by possessing documents like Aadhaar card, PAN card or a voter ID. The court made these observations while refusing bail to a Bangladeshi immigrant who was living in India illegally.
The court was hearing a matter related to Babu Abdul Ruf Sardar, a Bangladeshi national, who entered India illegally without a valid passport or travel documents. While staying in India, he procured forged Indian documents such as Aadhaar card, PAN card, and even voter ID.
The bench of Justice Amit Borkar said 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 voter ID are only meant for identification or availing services.
