MEA clarifies stand on passport as row over SIR grows

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday clarified that an Indian passport is a travel document issued to regulate the departure of Indian citizens from the country and is not meant to serve as proof of citizenship, amid a growing political debate over its use in electoral roll revisions.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised that passports are granted only after thorough verification as per established procedures under the Passports Act, 1967 and the Passports Rules, 1980. He also noted that less than eight per cent of Indian citizens currently hold a passport.

The clarification comes in response to questions regarding remarks made by senior MEA officials during Passport Seva Divas on June 24. Officials had described the passport as a travel document for visiting foreign countries and explicitly stated it is not a document to prove citizenship.

The comments were made in the context of the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states, where questions arose about whether passports could be accepted as proof of citizenship.

The remarks triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Congress, which accused the Government of attempting to create grounds to arbitrarily deny citizenship rights to certain individuals.

Addressing the controversy directly, Jaiswal stated: “An Indian passport is a document that, as per the Passports Act, 1967, is issued by the Government of India to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India.”

“It is issued after due verification laid out by an established process. The issue of passports to Indian citizens or any other individual is governed by The Passports Act, 1967 and Passports Rules, 1980,” he added.

The MEA has maintained that while the passport confirms the holder’s identity and nationality for international travel, it does not function as primary evidence of citizenship in domestic legal or administrative processes such as voter list revisions.

The fresh clarification aims to put an end to the political controversy and underscore the limited scope and purpose of the passport document.