The survey was recently conducted among sections of camp refugees from Sri Lanka to determine how many of them are eligible for obtaining Indian passports.
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As many as 130 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in rehabilitation camps in Tamil Nadu have been found eligible to apply for Indian passports immediately. This is the highlight of the findings of a survey undertaken a few months ago by the State Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils among the residents of the camp.
Cut-off date
A specialist in refugees’ issues, who was associated with the survey, points out that the eligible individuals include those born before the cut-off date of July 1, 1987, irrespective of the nationality of their parents, and those covered under the India-Sri Lanka pacts of 1964 and 1974 for the repatriation of Indian-origin or hill country Tamils.
The survey also reveals that 39 refugees are eligible to apply for passports, but there are errors in the spellings of names and dates. In the case of 72, further documents are needed to establish their eligibility, and the remaining 154 persons are not eligible under the given legal framework.
Survey resultsCategoryNo. of refugeesRefugees found eligible to apply immediately130Eligible subject to corrections in spelling and dates39More documents needed to ascertain eligibility72Currently not eligible154
The specialist explains that the exercise covered only sections of the camp refugees and its findings should not be considered exhaustive. Recently, in a case concerning the 39-year-old man born to Sri Lankan Tamil parents in Tiruchi, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court held that the petitioner, Gokuleswaran, was an Indian citizen under the Citizenship Act, 1955, as he was born in the country before the cut-off date of July 1, 1987.
Fifth to be recognised
In the last three years, Mr. Gokuleswaran is the fifth refugee to be recognised by the authorities as an Indian citizen on the basis of having been born in the country, regardless of the legal status of the parents (as covered in Section 3(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act). The four others are Nalini, Mary Shalini, Desinguraja, and Neyatitus. Three others have also been given passports as they have been covered under the India-Sri Lanka pacts of 1964 and 1974.
Antony Arulraj, an activist closely associated with issues faced by Sri Lankan Tamils since 1990, urges officials of the Regional Passport Offices in the State not to reject, in a routine manner, the applications of eligible persons living in the rehabilitation camps for passports. It causes them enormous hardship since they will have to get the relief only through judicial intervention, he points out.
Published – November 18, 2025 11:21 pm IST