Article 9: Persons voluntarily acquiring citizenship of a foreign State not to be citizens

In plain words

No one is a citizen of India under articles 5, 6 or 8 if they have voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign country.

A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.

Official text

No person shall be a citizen of India by virtue of article 5, or be deemed to be a citizen of India by virtue of article 6 or article 8, if he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of any foreign State.

Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the official text of the Constitution of India. As amended up to the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023. Text as on 10 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Supreme Court judgments citing the article 9

Union of India v. Pranav Srinivasan
2024 INSC 79218 October 2024Allowed

The issue involved in the instant cases concerns the grant of Indian citizenship to the respondent.
IN RE : SECTION 6A OF THE CITIZENSHIP ACT 1955 versus
2024 INSC 78917 October 2024Reference answered

Issue arose as regards the constitutional validity of s.6A of the Citizenship Act; does s.6A offend preambular values like fraternity; s.6A, if ultra vires Part II of the Constitution; does s.6A create an unreasonable…
Bihar State Electricity Board and Others v. Dharamdeo Das
2024 INSC 54923 July 2024Appeal(s) allowed

Issue arose as to whether promotion ought to be reckoned from the date it is granted or from the date when a vacancy occurs on the subject post or when the post itself is created.
Kenisha Agrawal Minor Represented by Father and Natural Guardian Mr Nitin Agrawal v. Union of India & Ors
DHC DLHC010036362024 24031212 March 2024
Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India
2022 INSC 11757 November 2022Disposed of
Dr. Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil v. The Chief Minister & Ors.
2021 INSC 2845 May 2021Disposed of
Abdul Kuddus v. Union of India and Others
2019 INSC 68417 May 2019Disposed of
Indian Young Lawyers Assn. v. State of Kerala 561 Indian Young Lawyers Association & Ors.V. the State of Kerala & Ors.
2017 INSC 104028 September 2018Appeal(s) allowed
Joseph Shine v. Union of India
2018 INSC 89827 September 2018Appeal(s) allowed
Independent Thought v. Union of India & Anr.
2017 INSC 103011 October 2017Directions issued
Jindal Stainless Ltd. & Anr v. State of Haryana & Ors
2016 INSC 101911 November 2016Directions issued
G. Sundarrajan v. Union of India and Ors.
2013 INSC 3146 May 2013Disposed of
Dropti Devi & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.
2012 INSC 2592 July 2012Dismissed
Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre v. State of Maharashtra and Others
2010 INSC 8432 December 2010Appeal(s) allowed
C.B.I., A.H.D., Patna v. Braj Bhushan Prasad and Ors.
2001 INSC 4855 October 2001Disposed of
Umaji Keshao Meshram & Ors. v. Radhikabai W/O Anandrao Banapurkar & Anr.
1986 INSC 4114 March 1986Dismissed
Inder Mal Jain & Anr. Etc v. Union of India & Ors. Etc.
1983 INSC 1948 December 1983Dismissed
His Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalavaru v. State of Kerala
1973 INSC 9124 April 1973
State of Utiar Pradesh & Ors. v. Shah Mohammad & Anr.
1969 INSC 7913 March 1969Appeal(s) allowed
Kulathil Mammu v. The State of Kerala
1966 INSC 622 March 1966Dismissed
Mohd. Ayub Khan v. Commissioner of Police, Madras and Another
1965 INSC 225 February 1965Appeal(s) allowed
Gurdev Singh Sidhu v. State of Punjab and Anr.
1964 INSC 1011 April 1964Appeal(s) allowed
State of Madhya Pradesh v. Peer Mohd. & Another
1962 INSC 27828 September 1962Dismissed
Izhar Ahmad Khan v. Union of India
1962 INSC 5816 February 1962Disposed of
Mobarik Ali Ahmed v. The State of Bombay
1957 INSC 636 September 1957Dismissed