Population Register and National Register of Indian Citizens

The Population Register records persons who usually reside in a locality, irrespective of whether they are citizens. The National Register of Indian Citizens, or NRIC, is meant to contain only Indian citizens. The Citizenship Rules, 2003 link them by making the Population Register the database from which the local citizens’ register is prepared after verification.

Statutory framework

Section 14A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 provides for compulsory registration of citizens and maintenance of the NRIC. Under Rule 3(4), the Central Government may fix a date for preparing the Population Register, while Rule 3(5) requires the Local Register of Indian Citizens to contain details of persons included after due verification from the Population Register.

• A usual resident is a person who has resided in a local area for the preceding six months or more, or intends to reside there for the next six months or more.
• The National Register is organised into local, sub-district, district and state components under Rule 3.

From the Population Register to the citizens’ register

For preparing the NRIC, Rule 4 provides for house-to-house enumeration and collection of specified particulars concerning each family and individual, including citizenship status. The Local Registrar then scrutinises and verifies these particulars.

• If citizenship is considered doubtful during verification, Rule 4(3) requires an appropriate remark in the Population Register and notice to the individual or family.
• A person whose citizenship is questioned must receive an opportunity of being heard before a final decision on inclusion or exclusion.
• A draft local register is published so that claims for inclusion, objections and corrections can be considered before finalisation.

Legal significance of the link

Inclusion in the Population Register does not itself establish citizenship because the register covers all usual residents. The Rules create an administrative sequence: enumeration, verification and inclusion in the citizens’ register. The substantive rules for determining citizenship continue to come from the Citizenship Act, 1955.