India, July 13 -- The Supreme Court on Monday underlined that the determination of citizenship and foreigner status must be made through a "fair, lawful and reasonable" process, emphasising that the grave consequences of declaring a person a foreigner require strict adherence to constitutional and statutory safeguards.

The ruling assumes significance as the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has triggered widespread concerns and disputes over citizenship claims in parts of the country, bringing questions surrounding proof of citizenship back into sharp public focus.

The bench observed that citizenship and foreigner status occupy a field of "high constitutional and legal significance", making procedural fairness ...