SSC
The concept of single citizenship in the Indian Constitution is borrowed from the Constitution of:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — United Kingdom
Detailed Solution
India has adopted the system of single citizenship, which was inspired by the British Constitution. Under this system, every Indian citizen is a citizen of India only, regardless of the state in which he or she was born or lives. There is no separate citizenship of individual states.
In contrast, federal countries such as the United States and Switzerland have dual citizenship: a person is a citizen of the country as a whole and also of the particular state (or canton) where he or she lives, with separate rights in each.
Single citizenship was chosen in India to:
- Promote national unity and integrity, by giving all citizens a common Indian identity.
- Avoid discrimination between citizens of different states.
- Ensure that all citizens enjoy the same political and civil rights throughout the country.
Under single citizenship, all citizens, irrespective of their state of birth or residence, enjoy the same rights all over the country. They can move freely, reside and settle in any part of India (Article 19(1)(d) and (e)), and they can seek employment anywhere. However, there are some exceptions, such as special provisions for tribal areas, domicile requirements in some state jobs (allowed by Parliament under Article 16(3)), and restrictions on buying land in some hill and tribal states.
Single citizenship is also listed among the unitary (non-federal) features of the Indian Constitution, along with a strong Centre, an integrated judiciary, All India Services and the appointment of Governors by the Centre.
Other features borrowed from the British Constitution:
- Parliamentary form of government and Cabinet system.
- Rule of Law.
- Legislative procedure.
- Single citizenship.
- Prerogative writs.
- Parliamentary privileges.
- Bicameralism.
- "First past the post" electoral system.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Canada gave the idea of a strong Centre and residuary powers.
- ✗Australia gave the Concurrent List and joint sittings.
- ✗Good to know
- ✗The USA has dual citizenship; India borrowed Fundamental Rights, judicial review and impeachment from it.
Quick tip
Remember: Single citizenship = from the UK (a unitary feature); USA has dual citizenship; other UK features = parliamentary system, Rule of Law, Cabinet, writs, bicameralism and first past the post.
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Union, Territory & Citizenship — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Union, Territory & Citizenship, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers Part I and Part II of the Constitution: the Union and its territory (Articles 1-4), the formation and reorganisation of states, and the provisions on citizenship (Articles 5-11), including how citizenship is acquired and lost under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Questions commonly ask which article describes India as a 'Union of States' (Article 1), how Parliament can create new states (Article 3), and the five ways of acquiring citizenship (birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and incorporation of territory). Remember that India provides for single citizenship. Practise the union, territory and citizenship questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.