Guwahati, July 13 -- The Supreme Court on July 13 ruled that citizenship and foreigner status must be determined through a "fair, lawful and reasonable" process while setting aside Gauhati High Court judgments that had upheld the declaration of 27 individuals as foreigners.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed the appeals filed by the 27 individuals and sent the cases back to the respective Foreigners Tribunals for fresh adjudication. The court observed that citizenship carries significant constitutional and legal importance and that any decision affecting a person's citizenship status must strictly follow principles of fairness.

The apex court said the State has a legitimate interest in ensuring that people who are...