Article 5 of the Indian Constitution deals with citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., on 26th January 1950).

 

Article 5 of the Indian Constitution deals with citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., on 26th January 1950).

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🔹 Article 5: Citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution

It states who shall be deemed a citizen of India on the day the Constitution comes into force.

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✅ Who was a Citizen on 26 Jan 1950?

A person was considered an Indian citizen if they:

1. Had domicile in India and

2. Fulfilled any one of these conditions:

   • Born in India, or

   • Either parent born in India, or

   • Lived in India for at least 5 years before 26 January 1950

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📌 Key Points:

• Article 5 gave initial citizenship to people at the time of India's independence.

• Later citizenship laws (like the Citizenship Act, 1955) governed citizenship after that.

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