Indian court rules election card proof of citizenship

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MUMBAI: An Indian court has ruled here that the original election card is a proof of citizenship unless proven otherwise.

The magistrate court in Mumbai made these remarks while hearing a case concerning a couple arrested in 2017 for entering India illegally, Indian media reported.

The magistrate court acquitted the Bangladeshi couple and observed that “the birth certificate, , bonafide certificate, domicile certificate and passport can be relied upon to establish the origin of any person.”

The court added, “Even the election card can be said to be a sufficient proof of citizenship as while applying for the election card or voting card, a person has to file declaration with the authority in view of Form 6 of Peoples Representation Act to the authority that he is citizen of India and if the declaration is found false, he is liable for punishment.”