Securing Citizenship seeks to interpret the international human rights framework as applicable to India, and links it to the complementary duties under India’s Constitution. The report highlights the deviations of Indian state’s policies from these standards. It underlines how these policies may be amended in the light of law and best practices across the globe. The report argues that the country is legally bound to prevent and reduce statelessness. This obligation mandates that India affirm the citizenship of precarious citizens being subjected to citizenship deprivation procedures. It also argues that India cannot detain precarious citizens and stateless persons, and must ensure the full gamut of socio-economic rights is available to stateless persons in the Indian territory. The report is first and foremost a tool available to state actors and civil society to improve the condition of stateless persons and those facing statelessness. The report has been written to raise awareness within the Indian society regarding the international law aspects of citizenship. It has condensed relevant norms, case law and recommendations in favour of the inclusion of such issues to the discourse in India. It speaks to judges and legal practitioners in India by providing international and Indian precedents on the various rights available to stateless persons and persons at the risk of statelessness. It also addresses the larger audience of transnational legal scholars and practitioners by interpreting international legal norms in the complex context of contemporary India.  introduction 37

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