How does one become an Indian citizen ?

Articles 5 to 9 of the Indian Consitution deal with the issue of who is entitled to citizenship. ( It was enacted in 1949 and came into effect in 1950.) Article 9 stipulates that any Indian citizen accepting citizenship of a foreign country automatically ceases to be an Indian citizen. Article 10 guarantees the continuance of citizenship once acquired and article 11 clarifies that Parliament will have the right to regulate citizenship. The Citizenship Act, 1955 details the various ways in which  a person can become an Indian citizen. Essentially, this is possible by virtue of birth, descent, by registration or naturalisation. The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2003 added a further category of overseas Indian citizens, who however will not have all the rights of full-fledged citizens.

Does being born in India automatically make you an Indian citizen ?

Not quite. It depends on…