Thirty-four years aft being calved and brought up successful India by his Sri Lankan parents, R. Bahison of Ramapuram successful Chennai has present been labelled arsenic ‘stateless’ by the Collectorate and faces the menace of being lodged successful a peculiar campy astatine Tiruchi contempt being successful possession of an Indian passport, Aadhaar card, PAN card, ration card, voter’s ID paper and truthful on.
Justice M. Dhandapani of the Madras High Court has, however, passed an interim bid restraining the Centre arsenic good arsenic the State Government from taking immoderate coercive enactment against the idiosyncratic till October 8, 2025 and directed some the governments to respond to his plea seeking citizenship by naturalisation nether Section 6 of the Citizenship Act of 1955.
The orders were passed aft elder counsel P.R. Raman, assisted by Sandesh Saravanan, brought it to the announcement of the tribunal that the writ petitioner’s parents V. Ravindran and R. Jaya had fled from Trincomalee during the taste struggle successful the land federation and reached India successful 1991. They were initially lodged astatine the Sri Lankan exile campy astatine Mandapam successful Ramanathapuram district.
Subsequently, the petitioner’s mother, who was large portion entering India, was shifted to the Senthalai campy successful Pudukottai and gave commencement to him connected September 21, 1991. Owing to the disbanding of definite camps successful 1992, the household was allowed to reside elsewhere but remained nether monitoring of Bureau of Immigration done issuance of a peculiar certificate for registration of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Claiming that helium was nether the content of having go an Indian national by birth, the petitioner, successful his affidavit, said helium pursued his schooling astatine Ramapuram and Porur and past obtained an engineering grade successful machine subject from a backstage assemblage successful Pallavaram. He besides secured a occupation arsenic a web developer successful a backstage institution successful Chennai earlier marrying a Sri Lankan successful 2024.
After the marriage, helium applied for reissuance of his Indian passport by including his wife’s sanction truthful that she could proceed to reside with him successful India without overmuch hassle. The Regional passport bureau accepted his exertion and reissued the passport by including her sanction arsenic his spouse connected March 27, 2025. However, occupation began brewing thereafter owing to an adverse constabulary verification report.
The petitioner was informed by the constabulary that helium could not assertion Indian citizenship by commencement owing to the 1986 amendment to the Citizenship Act. As per the amendment, that came into unit from July 1, 1987, citizenship by commencement could beryllium claimed lone if either of the parents were Indians. Since the petitioner’s begetter arsenic good arsenic parent were foreigners erstwhile helium was calved successful 1991, helium was not entitled to citizenship by birth.
Immediately, Mr. Bahison made an exertion to the Chennai Collector connected May 8, 2025 seeking citizenship by naturalisation. On August 4, 2025, the Collectorate wrote to the Maduravoyal Taluk Tahsildar calling for an enquiry study with respect to the exertion filed by the “stateless” person. A transcript of the Collectorate’s connection labelling the petitioner arsenic ‘stateless’ was marked to the writ petitioner.
Thereafter, connected August 21, 2025, the Fake Passport Investigation Wing attached to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) successful Chennai registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the writ petitioner nether Sections 12(1)(b) and 12(1A)(a) of the Passports Act of 1967 and Sections 318(4), 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita connected charges of cheating, forgery and submitting mendacious documents to get Indian passport.
The FIR was booked connected the ground of a ailment lodged by Immigration Officer Gurram K. Navina serving astatine the bureau of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer nether the Bureau of Immigration.
The petitioner was arrested connected the aforesaid time and remanded successful judicial custody. A metropolitan magistrate tribunal for exclusive proceedings of CCB cases astatine Egmore dismissed his bail exertion connected August 29, 2025 owed to vehement objection by the prosecution. However, the Principal District and Sessions Judge S. Karthikeyan granted him bail connected September 4, 2025 connected information to study earlier the CCB each time until further orders.
In a antagonistic affidavit filed astatine the clip of opposing his bail application, the constabulary had stated steps were being taken to lodge the petitioner successful the Tiruchi peculiar campy to forestall him from fleeing the state until the decision of the proceedings successful the transgression case. Hence, the petitioner had rushed to the High Court present with a plea to restrain the officials from lodging him successful the peculiar camp.
He contended that helium would not beryllium capable to prosecute his exertion for naturalisation if helium gets lodged successful the camp. “The petitioner was informed that helium is stateless and ineligible for an Indian passport... Considering the prima facie lawsuit made retired by the petitioner, determination shall beryllium an bid of interim enactment by directing the respondents not to instrumentality immoderate coercive steps arsenic against the petitioner till October 8, 2025,” Justice Dhandapani ordered.
