A seemingly technical statement made on Passport Seva Divas on Wednesday has provoked a remarkably emotional public debate. Marking the anniversary of Passports Act 1967, an MEA official remarked that a passport is 'a travel document, not a document of citizenship'. Within hours, social media was awash with alarm and confusion. Was GoI now saying that the one document Indians have long regarded as ultimate proof of their national identity was no longer valid?
The answer is both simpler and more nuanced than the controversy suggests. The official was stating a legal proposition that has always been true. A passport is issued under Passports Act. Citizenship is governed by Citizenship Act 1955. The two serve different purposes. One regulates issuance of a document that enables international travel. The other determines who is, in law, an Indian citizen.
