NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The Union ministry of home affairs has issued a notification empowering district collectors North Goa and South Goa to initiate process of inquiry into dual citizenship cases in the state.
According to the notification issued by the Union ministry of home affairs on November 22, 2016, the order will be in force for a period of two years from the date of publication in the official gazette.
The notification has said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 16 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955), the central government directs that the powers exercisable by it under sub-section (2) of Section 9 of the Act read with rule 40 of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, shall also be exercisable by the district collector North Goa and South Goa for the purpose of inquiring into the issue of acquisition of citizenship of another country by residents of the state of Goa and make appropriate recommendations to the central government through the state government in accordance with the procedure specified in Schedule III of the said rules.”
The central government has put three conditions for deciding the matter. Firstly, the applications and objections should be invited after due publicity by the district collectors.
Secondly, the inquiry should be conducted in fair and transparent manner, keeping in mind the provisions contained in the Act and the Citizenship Rules, 2009.
Lastly, after inquiry, the district collectors should make recommendations to the central government giving details of each case.
A senior official in the state home ministry said the district collectors would inquire the issue on case-to-case basis and after conducting inquiry they would make recommendations to the central government.
A couple of applications received by the central ministry have already been forwarded to district collectors for inquiry, he said.
However, the matter of dual citizenship would be probed after the applications are received from individuals and not by sou moto.
The controversy over dual citizenship first came to limelight in 2012 when a case was filed in the Goa bench of High Court of Bombay against former Benaulim MLA Caetano de Silva seeking his disqualification on the ground that he had registered his birth in Portugal and thus ceases to be an Indian national.
An inter-ministerial committee was set up in January 2015 by the central government after the Goa government wrote several letters to the Centre asking to resolve the dual citizenship issue plaguing Goans.
The inter-ministerial committee of the Centre had recommended setting up of a designated authority.
It is believed that a large number of Goans were issued a ‘bill of identity’ by the Portuguese authority. A ‘bill of identity’ not only allows them to travel to Portugal and other European Union countries without visa, it also entitles them to invest in properties and obtain a passport of any other EU nation.
The Portuguese nationality law of 1975 provides that Goans, born before December 20, 1961 up to the third generation, are entitled to Portuguese citizenship, if they opt for it.