IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) FRIDAY, THE ELEVENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN PRESENT THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE VILAS V. AFZULPURKAR WRIT PETITION No.7158 of 2011 BETWEEN Razia Sultan and three others. ... PETITIONERS AND The Government of India, rep. By its Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi and another. ...RESPONDENTS Counsel for the Petitioners: MR. V. RAJAGOPAL REDDY Counsel for the Respondents: MS. C. VANI REDDY SC FOR CENTRAL GOVERNMENT The Court made the following order: ORDER: Petitioners are Afghan nationals, who are refugees in India within the mandate of United Nations High Commission. Petitioners allege that they have been staying in India for several years and have submitted application dated 05.07.2005 to the Government of India to consider grant of Indian Citizenship to them under the Citizenship Act, 1955. It is stated that necessary documents have been enclosed and even after waiting for several years since no action was forthcoming, the petitioners have filed the present writ petition complaining of inaction. 2. No counter is filed but the learned standing counsel for the first respondent submits, on instructions, that the first respondent has asked information and certain details of the petitioners from the second respondent – State Government and the petitioners’ application is under consideration. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioners has produced a copy of the letter dated 05.02.2011 addressed by the District Collector, Visakhapatnam to the Secretary to Government, Home (Passports) Department, wherein certain fresh set of documents obtained from the petitioners are forwarded with a request to consider the citizenship application of the petitioners as per Rules. Copy of the said letter is produced before this Court at the time of hearing. 4. From the aforesaid, it is evident that the application of the petitioners for grant of citizenship is under consideration of the first respondent and as such, it cannot be said that there is any inaction, which requires to be enforced by way of a Writ of Mandamus as the matter of grant of citizenship would depend upon verification of several aspects including the documents of the petitioners, which would, in normal circumstances, take time. In the circumstances, while declining the Mandamus as prayed for, the writ petition is disposed of directing the first respondent to consider the application of the petitioners for grant of Citizenship in accordance with the Citizenship Act, 1955 and pass appropriate orders expeditiously. There shall be no order as to costs. _____________________ VILAS V. AFZULPURKAR, J November 11, 2011 DSK