Statelessness in India To what extent have international standards concerning statelessness in the international human rights law framework been implemented in the Indian legal system and how could they be strengthened?1 Asha Bangar Statelessness Working Paper Series No. 2017/02 Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion June 2017 Author biography Asha Bangar is a graduate of LL.M Globalisation and Law from Maastricht University, prior to which she obtained a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences (with a major in Law) at Tilburg University. She is particularly interested in a Human Rights based approach in International Law and International Relations. She is currently an intern at the Centre for European and International Affairs at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus as a researcher. Author email asha.bangar92@gmail.com Key words India—nationality—statelessness—Asia—citizenship Abstract The right to nationality is essential to facilitating the actualisation of all other fundamental human rights. While International law provides that all persons have the right to a nationality, State’s still retain the right to determine how nationality is acquired. This article discusses the problem of statelessness in the Indian context by examining its citizenship laws and how it actually produces stateless persons in India. Although India is not a state party to the key Conventions on Statelessness, it is bound to other international conventions which creates obligations for India to cooperate in its prevention and reduction of the phenomenon. Thus, the article suggests ways in which India’s nationality laws could be improved to bring it in line with the international legal framework on statelessness. 1 Based on Master Thesis for LL.M Globalisation and Law at Maastricht University