Govt to cancel illegal citizenship certificates: Nepali Citizenship

KATHMANDU, March 5 - The government on Sunday said that the citizenship certificates acquired through illegal means would be cancelled.
Issuing a press statement, the Home Ministry also said that persons involved in such practices would be punished as per the laws of the land. The release has asked ordinary people and civil society members to report such illegal practices to local administration and help check the illegal practice of providing citizenship certificates to foreign nationals.

The government move comes after reports that mobile citizenship distribution teams were forced to provide citizenship cards on the basis of fake details and under pressure. According to a release, the government has initiated action those against those involved in such illegal practices in Sundrawati of Dolakha district, Basudevpur of Banke district, Bariyapatti village of Siraha district

and Manaraja village of Saptari district.

The Ministry said that a total of 1,237,409 citizenship certificates have been distributed so far. The release said that altogether 1,163,746 citizenship cards were distributed on the basis of descent while 51,285 others were issued on the basis of birth. Likewise, altogether 22,158 people have been issued citizenship cards on the basis of marriage and 220 others received naturalized citizenship cards.

The government deputed 561 mobile teams to distribute citizenship certificates in various districts across the country from January 15. Each mobile team consists of seven civil servants including a gazetted officer. Besides issuing citizenship certificates, the mobile teams are collecting names of those below 16 years of age and those who are away from their villages and have not yet acquired citizenship certificates.

Wife demands citizenship, husband evicts her

She only wanted her husband's help to get her citizenship papers as a citizenship distribution team was in their village recently.

However, 35-year-old Aaitimaya Thing of Padampokhari VDC-3, not only received threats of the marriage being annulled but was also evicted from the house by her husband Gyan Bahadur a few days ago.

According to police, Thing registered a complaint seeking justice and also called on local journalists and human rights activists to help her obtain citizenship.

Locals said that Gyan Bahadur refused to help her get citizenship certificate fearing she could get hold of his property. He already has seven children from his first wife, and one son through Thing.

Officials of the citizenship certificate distribution team in the area also expressed their inability to issue her a citizenship certificate as her marriage was not registered with the VDC.

According to legal provisions, husband should verify wife's identity and their marriage should also be registered with the local authority for issuing a citizenship certificate to the wife.