Jalandhar (TIP): The Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division) has ceased the Indian citizenship of senior Congress leader and transporter Avtar Henry.

In a communication to Principal Secretary (Homes) DS Bains, Undersecretary, Union Government, SN Garg has said the Centre, while exercising powers under Sections 9(2) of the Citizenship Act-1955, had ceased Henry’s Indian citizenship from the date he acquired British citizenship and passport in 1969. Henry, however, is at liberty to acquire Indian citizenship by following the procedures laid down under the law. In the letter, Garg stated that an inquiry report forwarded

by the Additional Director General of Punjab Police specified that the office of the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner was not in possession of any record that could be used to ascertain whether Henry had submitted an application to acquire Indian citizenship or not. Henry had acquired an Indian passport in 1981 and subsequently in 2004. The passport can be issued only to an Indian citizen.
But the records of the Foreigners Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that the division had not granted Indian citizenship to Avtar Henry 1981 onwards. The letter sent by Garg to Bains stated that the fact that he had acquired a British passport conclusively proved that he had acquired British citizenship and thereby automatically ceased to be an Indian citizen under Sections 9(1) of the Citizenship Act-1955 from the date of the acquisition of British citizenship.

son blew the lid

Avtar Henry’s son Gurjit had accused him of holding dual citizenship
He said Henry had visited the UK on an Indian passport procured from the Delhi Passport Office posing as Lakhbir Singh Sanghera’s son

Lakhbir Singh was Henry’s elder brother and his father’s name was Joginder Singh
The Centre had ceased Henry’s Indian citizenship from the date he acquired British citizenship and passport in 1969.