Citizenship- Article 5

Citizens of different nations have various rights, responsibilities which they have access to in a country, and these rights and responsibilities are not fully granted to aliens or foreigners, In India, the criteria to become a citizen is clearly stated in part II of the Constitution of India Articles 5; we would be discussing in details what it takes to be a citizen of India and how to enjoy the privileges of being an India citizen with regards to article 5 of India constitution.

Meaning of Citizenship

Citizenship can be seen as the relationship that exists between a country and its bonafide individual members, in this type of relationship the bonafide individuals are granted certain privileges such as political rights, social rights, and economic rights, and the citizens also have duties and responsibilities to perform for the country.

In a democratic society like India, the citizens have so many rights which can’t be trampled upon by anyone and these rights are for the betterment of the nation.

Every citizen of any country also has civic responsibility and duties to perform for his or her nation; this responsibility in turn is for the progress of the nation and its citizens. 

Article 5 Of The Indian Constitution And Citizenship

Every nation, group, or body has a set of rules that govern their activities and these rules are known as the constitution; there is a part of the Indian Constitution that makes provision for citizenship.

The part of the constitution of India that makes provision for citizenship is article 5, the condition of India article 5 have been carefully started below;

ARTICLE 5: CITIZENSHIP AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

At the commencement of this Constitution, every person who has his domicile in the territory of India and –

(a) who was born in the territory of India; or

(b) either of whose parents was born in the territory of India; or

(c) who has been ordinarily resident in the territory of India for not less than five years immediately preceding such commencement, shall be a citizen of India?

What It Takes To Become A Citizen Of India According to Article 5

According to the clearly stated part of the Indian condition article 5, to become a legal citizen of India one must pass any of the criteria mentioned in the Constitution, part A reads “who was born in the territory of India” so this means anyone who was born within the boundaries or in the soil of India becomes a citizen and is allowed citizen rights.

Part B and C read(b)either of whose parents was born in the territory of India; or

(c) who has been ordinarily resident in the territory of India for not less than five years immediately preceding such commencement, shall be a citizen of India?

So if one of your parents was born in the territory of India you become a full-time citizen of India, you would have every right duties and obligation to the nation.

Lastly, if you as an individual have lived in the territories of India for not less than 5 years, you become a citizen of India.

Benefits Of Being An Indian Citizen

There are so many benefits of becoming an Indian citizen ranging from the fundamental rights which are stated in part III (article 12- 35) of the constitution of India and it reads as follows:

• The right to equality (Articles 14-18),
• the right to freedom (Articles 19-22),
• the right against exploitation (Articles 23-24),
• the right to freedom of religion (Articles 25-28),
• cultural and educational rights (Articles 29-30), and
• the right to constitutional remedies (Article 32 and 226)

Conclusion

Citizens of different nations have various rights and responsibilities which they have access to in a country and these rights and responsibilities are not fully granted to foreigners, citizenship is more like a mutual relationship a country has with its bonafide or verified members, it grants them access to so many civic rights such as political rights as social rights and economic rights.

So according to the constitution of India, you become a citizen when you are born in India when either of your parents is from India or you have stayed for up to 5 years in India.