Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: THE Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has tightened norms governing Overseas Citizens of India (OCI). It said OCI registration will be cancelled if an individual is sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more, or is charge-sheeted for an offence punishable with imprisonment of seven years or more.
The OCI cards offer multiple-entry, multi-purpose lifelong visas to persons of Indian origin and their spouses, along with certain economic and educational rights. The provision applies irrespective of whether the conviction occurred in India or abroad, provided the offence is recognised under Indian law.
The move is aimed at tightening the legal framework governing OCI status, which grants certain rights and privileges to foreign citizens of Indian origin. The notification by Home Ministry comes under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the Citizenship Rules, 2009, which empower the Central Government to cancel OCI registration under specified conditions. In recent years, the MHA has taken steps to more closely regulate the OCI scheme after instances where OCI cardholders were found to be involved in criminal or anti-national activities.