SC notice on petition against denial of citizenship to PIO

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Centre on a petition challenging the government order dated August 19,2002 denying citizenship rights to a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who took the citizenship of either Pakistan or Bangladesh after January 26,1950 when the Constitution of India came into being.

The petitioner K.N.A. Farooqi who was born in Lucknow in 1934 and took intermediate degree from Lucknow college in 1952 and left for Chittagong in November 1952 after abolition of Zamindari system in India and later shifted to Karachi in 1971 after formation of Bangladesh has contended that the impugned government order was discriminatory in nature and violated Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

The petitioner who came to India on June 20,2005 on a Pakistani passport has sought Indian citizenship under the category of Overseas Citizenship of India (OIC) commonly known as dual citizenship which can be granted to any foreign citizen who is a PIO except the citizen of Pakistan and Bangladesh as per the order dated December 2,2005 passed by the government of India.

PIO who was citizen of India on January 26,1950 or became citizen of any part which became part of India after August 15,1947 are entitled for Overseas Indian Citizenship.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justices C K Thakker and Markandey Katju issued notices after hearing the counsel for the petitioner who contended that the impugned order debarring citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh the dual citizenship rights who are PIOs was illegal and unconstitutional and hence must be quashed.

The petitioner has also pleaded that he married a girl from Lucknow in 1966 who also shifted to Chittagong.

UNI AKS/SC RP RN1830