In the landmark judgment of Union of India vs. Pranav Srinivasan (Civil Appeal No. 5932 of 2023), conveyed on October 18, 2024, the Supreme Court tended to the issue of the respondent's claim for Indian citizenship. The case spun around Pranav Srinivasan, born in Singapore in 1999 to Indian guardians who had embraced Singaporean citizenship earlier to his birth. Pranav connected for Indian citizenship beneath Area 8(2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, claiming that as a minor child of Indian-origin guardians who revoked their Indian citizenship, he was entitled to continue his Indian citizenship.
Pranav's application had been rejected by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and after ensuing case, the High Court ruled in his favor. However, the Union of India challenged this choice, leading to the offer within the Supreme Court.
The fundamental legal issue was how to interpret Section 8(2) of the Citizenship Act and whether Pranav, whose parents having renounced their Indian citizenship prior to his birth, could still claim citizenship under this clause. The Supreme Court decided against Pranav, stating that Section 8(2) only applies to small children whose parents voluntarily abandon their Indian citizenship while still citizens. Pranav's parents ceased to be Indian citizens when they obtained Singaporean citizenship, hence Section 8(2) could not be used in his case.
The Court highlighted that the requirements of the Citizenship Act must be carefully interpreted, and citizenship cannot be bestowed by wide or liberal interpretations that violate the statute's unambiguous text. Despite dismissing Pranav's claim, the Court acknowledged that he might still apply for Indian citizenship under other provisions of the Act.
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