India, July 17 -- The Calcutta High Court has observed that land records cannot be treated as proof of Indian citizenship while hearing the case of Nasir Mollah, a man detained in West Bengal last month on allegations of being a Bangladeshi intruder.

In a two-page order, the court said that ownership of immovable property in India does not, by itself, establish Indian citizenship.

Land ownership not proof of citizenship

"A foreign national can buy a property in India. Merely because a foreign national buys an immovable property in India ipso facto does not make such purchaser an Indian citizen," the court observed.

The remarks came after Mollah's relative moved the high court challenging his detention. Mollah is currently lodged in a ...