Lya Somin, professor of law at George Mason University, United States, says immigration is not a zero-sum game between migrants and natives. Contrarily, freedom of movement is a boon for both the migrant and the native.
In this context, imagine an immigrant to India who marries an Indian and secures documentary identity proof over years of continuous residence here. What if this immigrant, who is not a citizen under Indian law, is elected as a village head?
This is what happened to a woman, allegedly from Pakistan, who became a village head in Uttar Pradesh. She claimed she was born in India. Another woman, of Nepalese origin, was caught in a similar situation in Bihar.
In the latter case, the Patna High Court held that a foreign national does not automatically become an Indian citizen on marrying an Indian or owning a Permanent Account Number,
— source newsclick.in | Md Tasnimul Hassan | 27 Mar 2021