Which Articles of Indian Constitution are related to citizenship?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, Articles 5 to 11. Citizenship is dealt with in Part II of the Constitution, which runs from Article 5 to Article 11. Article 5 defines citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution; Articles 6-7 cover migrants to and from Pakistan; Article 8 covers persons of Indian origin residing abroad; Article 9 bars dual citizenship (voluntarily acquiring foreign citizenship ends Indian citizenship); Article 10 continues citizenship rights; and Article 11 empowers Parliament to regulate citizenship by law (the basis of the Citizenship Act, 1955). Hence the range is Articles 5-11 — option (c).

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Articles 3 and 4 belong to Part I (Union and its Territory) and deal with the formation of new states and alteration of boundaries — not citizenship. It also stops at Article 10, wrongly omitting Article 11.  (b) Article 4 is part of Part I (consequential laws for state reorganisation under Articles 2-3), not citizenship. Citizenship provisions begin at Article 5, not Article 4.  (d) It leaves out Article 5, which is the foundational provision defining citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution — so the range is incomplete.

Concept: Part II of the Constitution (Articles 5-11) deals with citizenship. It identifies who were citizens when the Constitution came into force (Article 5), addresses migrants to and from Pakistan (Articles 6-7) and Indians abroad (Article 8), rules out dual citizenship (Article 9), and — crucially — leaves the detailed law to Parliament (Article 11). Parliament used Article 11 to enact the Citizenship Act, 1955, which governs acquisition and loss of citizenship today.

State PCS 2020 Q114 — Polity & Governance PYQ with Answer

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