New Delhi: Records of inter-ministerial deliberations from 2010 show that the Centre had interpreted the term "citizen" under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to include Indian passport holders living abroad, while excluding Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs).
The documents, detailing consultations between the Ministries of External Affairs (MEA) and Home Affairs (MHA), have resurfaced at a time when the legal status of an Indian passport, whether it is conclusive proof of citizenship or primarily a travel document, has come under renewed public scrutiny.