The Gauhati High Court has ruled that PAN cards and voter ID cards cannot establish citizenship without supporting records, as these documents are based on self-declarations and not formally verified.
On November 5, the Gauhati High Court made a significant observation regarding proof of citizenship. In a petition challenging a tribunal order declaring a woman a foreigner, the court stated that Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards and Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) cannot serve as citizenship proof unless supported by the records used for issuance.
The bench noted that PAN cards and EPIC are issued on the basis of self-declarations, without formal verification by the Income Tax Department or the Election Commission. The court's observation highlights the need for supplementary records to validate these identity documents when proving citizenship.
Separately, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath stated that pollution caused by firecrackers during Diwali was 'not a problem' as it would eventually 'subside'. However, the Uttar Pradesh government had imposed no restrictions on celebrations, despite worsening pollution levels in Noida and Ghaziabad over the past few weeks.
Also, the Central Pollution Control Board clarified that its air quality monitoring system does not include particulate matter concentrations above 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre in hourly air-quality calculations. This comes amid reports of several air quality monitoring stations failing to report readings on Diwali night.
Source:
Scroll.in
