UNION OF INDIA UOI Vs. YAQUB ALI KHAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This is a second appeal by the union of India and the State of Uttar Fradesh, against the decree of the Temporary Civil Judge, Shahjahanpur, granting the plaintiff respondent Yaqub Ali Khan a declaration that he continues to be a citizen of Union of India. The tacts are these; Yaqub Ali Khan was born in the village of Korokoiyan in the district of Shahjahanpur and was living there when the Constitution of India came into effect. He became a citizen under Article 5. In March 1950 as a result of communal disturbances he left India for Pakistan and remained there till 1952. It is common ground that he did not return on a Pakistani Passport because no entered India via East-Pakistan for which no pass-port was necessary at the time. He was prosecuted under the Influx of Pakistan Control Act. Later he was informed by the District Magistrate Shahjalianpur that he would be deported to Pakistan. He moved this court for relief under Article 226 but his petition was rejected on the ground that he should tile a Civil Suit for a declaration to establish his status as a citizen of india. In April, 1954, he was directed by the authorities to leave India within two months or obtain a declaration of his status as a citizen from a competent court. Thereupon he fifed this suit. He alleged in his plaint that he is an Indian citizen as defined in Article 5 of the Constitution as he was born in village Korokuiyan in India and had lived there all his life. He claimed that his domicile was also Indian. He admitted that in March 1950 he went to Pakistan as a result of serious communal disturbances which broke cut in that year, but alleged that his visit was tempoisry and he never settled in Pakistan "nor did he transfer his allegiance". He tried to avail of the opportunities afforded by the Liaquat-Nehru Pact to return to India but had to remain in Pakistan for reasons beyond his control. He did not explain these reasons in the plaint. At last however he returned and was prosecuted under the Influx of the Pakistan Control Act. It had become necessary for him to obtain a declaration from the Civil Court to establish his status as an Indian citizen as he was threatened with deportation to Pakistan. He asserted that he never migrated to Pakistan and, therefore, did not lose his citizenship rights as provided by Article 7 of the Constitution. He asked the court to declare that he is a citizen of India.

(2.) Both the Union of India and the State of Uttar Pradesh resisted the suit and filed a common written statement. It was asserted that the plaintiff had in fact migrated to Pakistan some time after March 1950 without obtaining, a "no objection" certificate from the District Magistrate, Shahjahanjur and had thus lost all the rights of citizenship and was not entitled to the declaration prayed for. The trial court framed five issues as follows :

(3.) The trial court rejected the plaintiffs version that he never intended to migrate to Pakistan and disbelieved his witnesses. It held that he did migrate to Pakistan and by reason of this conduct lost his citizenship rights as provided under Article 7 of the Constitution. In appeal learned District Judge took a different view of the plaintiff's evidence and believed his witnesses who had deposed that he had gone to Pakistan, only for a temporary period and not with the intention of settling there permanently. Some of those witnesses said that they had met the plaintiff in Pakistan and learnt from him that he was anxious to return to India. The learned Judge also considered other facts such as that the plaintiff did not take his wife and children with him to Pakistan and had taken a long and tedious journey through the East Pakistan to accomplish his desire to return to India. He allowed the appeal with costs and awarded the plaintiff a declaration that he continued to be a citizen of India. The defendants have now come to this court in second appeal.