Steven Derby

Arguing that India should accept dual nationality, citing numerous cases of Bollywood actors carrying foreign passports, his own son and actor Imran Khan’s case is a superficial view as it overlooks serious issues That the heart of these individuals and the diaspora bats for India is questionable and if in many cases they carry foreign passports for convenience of travel etc. that says it all about their mentality. Here are the serious issues involved:, Article of the Indian Constitution explicitly forbids holding Indian and foreign citizenship at the same time. A Constitutional revision will be required. Section 9 of The Citizenship Act, 1955enforces this constitutional rule. Post partition there was need to establish clear, undivided national boundaries and prevent ambiguity over who belonged to India versus newly formed Pakistan. Also preventing divided allegiance and to ensure that citizens—and especially future political leaders—did not hold competing allegiances to former colonial powers or neighboring states. That concern remains. 
 National Security and Governance Concerns are real. There are intelligence and espionage risks. Dual nationality complicates background checks and counter-intelligence. Allowing individuals with foreign state loyalties to hold sensitive government jobs, military positions, or public office presents major security risks. Dual citizenship can create legal loopholes for individuals accused of financial fraud or criminal offences to evade Indian law enforcement. Managing tax obligations, property ownership laws, and foreign exchange rules for millions of dual citizens would create severe administrative friction. Dual status could be exploited to bypass domestic financial restrictions or create tax loopholes. India has one of the largest overseas diasporas in the world. Granting full voting rights and domestic political influence to tens of millions of non-resident dual citizens could drastically skew local elections . Managing dual nationals requires intricate legal coordination regarding taxation, military conscription, and diplomatic protection. Current administrative systems are not designed to track dual legal obligations for millions of diaspora members. @ShashiTharoor