A survey was recently conducted among a section of Sri Lankan camp refugees to find out how many of them are eligible to get Indian passports. File | Photo credit: K. Pichumani
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 a survey conducted a few months ago by the State Commission for the Rehabilitation and Care of Non-Resident Tamils among camp residents.
Closing date
A refugee specialist linked to the survey points out that those eligible include those born before the cut-off date of July 1, 1987, regardless of the nationality of their parents, and those covered by the 1964 and 1974 India-Sri Lanka pacts for the repatriation of Tamils of Indian or hill country origin.
The survey also reveals that 39 refugees are eligible to apply for passports, but there are errors in the spelling of names and dates. In the case of 72 persons, additional documents are needed to prove eligibility, and the remaining 154 persons are not eligible according to the given legal framework.
Survey results
refugee category no. Refugees found to be eligible to apply immediately130 Eligible subject to corrections in spelling and data39 Additional documents needed to determine eligibility72 Currently not eligible154
The specialist explains that the exercise covered only parts of the camp’s refugees and his findings should not be considered exhaustive. Recently, in a case involving a 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 because he was born in the country before the cut-off date of July 1, 1987.
Fifth to credit
In the past three years, Mr Gokuleswaran is the fifth refugee to be recognized as an Indian citizen by the authorities on the basis of being born in the country, regardless of the legal status of his parents (as specified in Section 3(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act). The four others are Nalini, Mary Shalini, Desinguraja and Neyatitus. Three others were also given passports because they were covered by the 1964 and 1974 India-Sri Lanka Pacts.
Antony Arulraj, an activist closely associated with the problems facing Sri Lankan Tamils since the 1990s, is urging regional passport office officials in the state not to routinely reject passport applications from eligible people living in rehabilitation camps. It causes them enormous difficulties because they will have to get relief only through judicial intervention, he points out.
Published – 18 Nov 2025 23:21 IST
