India's foreign ministry passport claim fuels citizenship debate

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India asserted that a passport is merely a travel document and does not constitute proof of citizenship. Senior politician Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the statement, arguing that passports are issued only to Indian citizens after thorough police verification and therefore cannot be detached from citizenship status. He warned that treating the passport separately could create difficulties for the public.

Supreme Court senior lawyer Virag Gupta acknowledged the technical correctness of the MEA's view but pointed out that, in practice, passports are issued exclusively to citizens except in rare, government‑approved cases. He said this makes the passport an indirect indicator of citizenship and suggested the government clarify which documents serve as citizenship proof to avoid administrative burdens.