Ahmedabad: Why was 15-month-old Rudra Kishan Modha’s family made to pay Rs 91,140 (nearly 1,000 British pounds) to the immigration bureau before they boarded the ill-fated flight that crashed immediately after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday?
The claim made by the child’s maternal grandfather Manish, after the crash, has brought to light a unique point regarding citizenship laws in India.
Manish’s daughter, a British citizen, had arrived in India in 2023 to give birth to her child. Rudra Kishan was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on August 22, 2023. As he was born in India, he became an Indian citizen by default.
This status changed on April 10, 2024, when the child was issued a British passport. He immediately became a British citizen, living in India without a valid visa. Hence, when he reached the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday with his mother and paternal grandmother, to return home to the UK, authorities stopped the trio.
It was calculated that Rudra Kishan had overstayed in India by 1 year, 2 months, and 2 days – the exact time that lapsed between April 10, 2024 and June 12, 2025. The period between August 22, 2023 – when he was born – and April 9, 2024 – a day before he was issued his British passport – was not considered as he was then an Indian citizen.
Manish may not have been aware of the rules and the social media took it up, dropping hints that the immigration bureau staff may have actually demanded a bribe to allow the child to leave the country. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that is in charge of citizenship laws in India, finally clarified the matter.
“As per immigration rules, visa fees for overstaying more than one year are US$ 484. This amounts to Rs 41,140. In addition, a penalty of Rs 50,000 is charged for overstaying more than 90 days. Hence, the total amount paid was Rs 91,140,” the MHA said.
