The Bombay High Court has granted passport relief to a 61-year-old Uganda-born man after recognising his Indian citizenship through his Goa-born mother and grandparents.
The court set aside an earlier decision by the regional passport office that had rejected his passport application due to a lack of proof showing that either of his parents was born in Goa.
A bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit S Jamsandekar observed that the man’s citizenship was established through official records, including his parents’ marriage certificate and his authenticated Ugandan birth certificate.
The man, who currently resides in South Goa, had approached the court after his passport application was rejected in May 2025. Authorities had argued that he failed to provide sufficient documents proving his Indian citizenship.
However, during the hearing, the court found that his mother and both grandparents were born in Goa before its liberation in 1961. The records submitted before the court showed that his family had deep roots in the state.
The court relied on the Goa, Daman and Diu (Citizenship) Order, 1962, which states that individuals, or their parents or grandparents, born in Goa before December 20, 1961, were considered Indian citizens after Goa became part of India.
The judges noted that the man’s parents’ marriage certificate clearly mentioned that his mother and grandparents were born in Goa. The court observed that although he was born in Tororo, Uganda, his family’s connection to Goa established his Indian citizenship.
The court also accepted his Ugandan birth certificate as an authentic document after noting that it was verified by the Indian High Commission in Kampala and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda.
The birth certificate recorded details of his parents, including his father’s nationality and his mother’s Indian identity. The court said these records confirmed his identity and family background.
The passport authorities had earlier rejected his application as he was unable to submit the required documents during the initial process. However, the court observed that the rejection order was passed without considering all relevant evidence.
The Bombay High Court has now directed the man to submit a fresh passport application along with all supporting documents. The passport officer has been asked to reconsider the application and issue a decision within three weeks, without being influenced by the earlier rejection order.
The case highlights the importance of historical records and legal documents in establishing citizenship, especially for individuals whose families have connections across countries due to historical circumstances.
For the Uganda-born senior citizen, decades-old records from Goa helped prove his Indian roots and opened the way for him to obtain an Indian passport.
Subscribe Deshwale on YouTube
