Deprivation of citizenship
Section 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 deals with deprivation of citizenship. A citizen of India who is such by naturalisation or by virtue only of clause (c) of article 5 of the Constitution or by registration otherwise than under clause (b)(ii) of article 6 of the Constitution or clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 5 of this Act, shall cease to be a citizen of India, i The Act came into force on 30 Dec 1955.
(1) A citizen of India who is such by naturalisation or by virtue only of clause (c) of article 5 of the Constitution or by registration otherwise than under clause (b)(ii) of article 6 of the Constitution or clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 5 of this Act, shall cease to be a citizen of India, if he is deprived of that citizenship by an order of the Central Government under this section.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Central Government may, by order, deprive any such citizen of Indian citizenship, if it is satisfied that―
(a) the registration or certificate of naturalisation was obtained by means of fraud, false representation or the concealment of any material fact; or
(b) that citizen has shown himself by act or speech to be disloyal or disaffected towards the Constitution of India as by law established; or
(c) that citizen has, during any war in which India may be engaged, unlawfully traded or communicated with an enemy or been engaged in, or associated with, any business that was to his knowledge carried on in such manner as to assist an enemy in that war; or
(d) that citizen has, within five years after registration or naturalisation, been sentenced in any country to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years; or
(e) that citizen has been ordinarily resident out of India for a continuous period of seven years, and during that period, has neither been at any time a student of any educational institution in a country outside India or in the service of a Government in India or of an international organisation of which India is a member, not registered annually in the prescribed manner at an Indian consulate his intention to retain his citizenship of India.
(3) The Central Government shall not deprive a person of citizenship under this section unless it is satisfied that it is not conducive to the public good that person should continue to be a citizen of India.
(4) Before making an order under this section, the Central Government shall give the person against whom the order is proposed to be made notice in writing informing him of the ground on which it is proposed to be made and, if the order is proposed to be made on any of the grounds specified in sub-section (2) other than clause (e) thereof, of his right, upon making application therefore in the prescribed manner, to have his case referred to a committee of inquiry under this section.
(5) If the order is proposed to be made against a person on any of the grounds specified in subsection (2) other than clause (e) thereof and that person so applies in the prescribed manner, the Central Government shall, and in any other case it may, refer the case to a Committee of Inquiry consisting of a chairman (being a person who has for at least ten years held a judicial office) and two other members appointed by the Central Government in this behalf.
(6) The Committee of Inquiry shall, on such reference, hold the inquiry in such manner as may be prescribed and submit its report to the Central Government; and the Central Government shall ordinarily be guided by such report in making an order under this section.
Section 10, The Citizenship Act, 1955 (Act 57 of 1955).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Referred to by 2
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Dr. Ramesh Chennamaneni v. Union of India
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Citizenship Act s.10 deprivation: even where s.10(2) conditions (e.g. false representation) are attracted, s.10(3) separately requires Central Government satisfaction that continuance of citizenship is not conducive to the public good. Committee report under s.10(5)/(6) does not dispense with due opportunity (supply of report) or independent speaking satisfaction under s.10(3). Deprivation order set aside and remitted. DATE VERIFIED Final Order 2019-07-10 (order-24.pdf).
On this section: Court enforced mandatory s.10(3) public-good satisfaction and due process in deprivation.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… In addition, it must also be noted that the phrase 'ordinarily resident' is used in various Indian legislations, in contexts not too dissimilar from Section 6A. Besides the Indian Constitution, it finds mention in Sections 5 and 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, in the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the Patents Act, 1970, among other statutes. Given such frequent usage, it would be difficult to term 'ordinarily resident' as vague. This Court has held the same in …
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… In addition, it must also be noted that the phrase 'ordinarily resident' is used in various Indian legislations, in contexts not too dissimilar from Section 6A. Besides the Indian Constitution, it finds mention in Sections 5 and 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, in the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the Patents Act, 1970, among other statutes. Given such frequent usage, it would be difficult to term 'ordinarily resident' as vague. This Court has held the same in …
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… In addition, it must also be noted that the phrase 'ordinarily resident' is used in various Indian legislations, in contexts not too dissimilar from Section 6A. Besides the Indian Constitution, it finds mention in Sections 5 and 10 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, in the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the Patents Act, 1970, among other statutes. Given such frequent usage, it would be difficult to term 'ordinarily resident' as vague. This Court has held the same in …
Made under this section, and citing it
2 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 10
What have the courts held on Section 10 of the Citizenship Act?
Dr. Ramesh Chennamaneni v. Union of India (10 Jul 2019) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Court enforced mandatory s.10(3) public-good satisfaction and due process in deprivation.
How do I find court cases under Section 10 of the Citizenship Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Citizenship Act 1955 10, section 10 Citizenship Act 1955, section 10 of the Citizenship Act. People searching for it also type citizenship act 10 1 and citizenship act 1955 section 10. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Dr. Ramesh Chennamaneni v. Union of India (10 Jul 2019).
What should I read with Section 10 of the Citizenship Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 5 (Citizenship by registration), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 2 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. 2 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently Citizenship Rule-2009 (2009), then These rules may be called the Citizenship Rules, 2009. (2009).
When did Section 10 of the Citizenship Act come into force?
Section 10 of the Citizenship Act, cited as Citizenship Act 1955 10, came into force on 30 Dec 1955, having been enacted on 30 Dec 1955. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.