Citizenship Act, 1955
2. Interpretation
(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "a Government in India " means the
Central Government or a State Government.
(b) "citizen" in relation to a
country specified in Schedule I, means a person who, under the citizenship or
nationality law for the time being in force in that country, is a citizen or
national of that country;
(c) "citizenship or nationality law"
in relation to a country specified in Schedule I, means an enactment of the
Legislature of that country which, at the request of the government of that
country, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette,
have declared to be an enactment making provision for the citizenship or
nationality of that country:
PROVIDED that no such notification shall be
issued in relation to the Union of South Africa except with the previous
approval of both Houses of Parliament.
(d) "Indian consulate" means the
office of any consular officer of the Government of India where a register of
births is kept, or where there is no such office, such office as may be
prescribed;
(e) "minor" means a person who has
not attained the age of eighteen years;
(f) "person" does not include any
company or association or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not;,
(g) "prescribed" means prescribed by
rules made under this Act;
(h) "undivided India " means India as defined in the
Government of India Act, 1935, as originally enacted.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a person born aboard a
registered ship or aircraft, or aboard an unregistered ship or aircraft of the
government of any country shall be deemed to have been born in the place in
which the ship or aircraft was registered or, as the case may be, in that
country.
(3) Any reference in this Act to the status or description of
the father of a person at the time of that person's birth shall, in relation to
a person born after the death of his father, be construed as a reference to the
status or description of the father at the time of the father's death; and
where that death occurred before, and the birth occurs after the commencement
of this Act, the status or description which would have been applicable to the
father had he died after the commencement of this Act shall be deemed to be the
status or description applicable to him at the time of his death.
(4) For the purposes of this Act, a person shall be deemed to be
of full age if he is not a minor, and of full capacity if he is not of unsound
mind.