8
CITIZENSHIP ACT, 1955
[S. 14
case in the case of the respondent a doubt was raised by the Government of Goa, Daman and Diu on the point as to whether he was a citizen of India. The Government of Goa, Daman and Diu in this context referred to the fact that the respondent while praying on 15th January, 1964, for being declared Indian citizen had suppressed the fact about his having signe declaration on 27th April, 1962, choosing to retain Portuguese nationality The Central Government even after being apprised of that fact refused to reconsider its decision of 1964 and observed that the matter should b. treated as closed. When the resp ndent thereafter asked for certificate unde: Sec. 13 the Central Government said that no such certificate was necessar in view of the earlier official communication which had been sent to hin that he had prima facie become a citizen of India. These facts clearly estab lish that the Central Government after being put in possession of all relevan facts reiterated its view that the respondent was an Indian citizen and shoul be considered as such. Letters dated 26th July, 1970 and 27th July, 1970 though they do not profess to be certificates issued under Sec. 13 and thougi the later of these two letters recites that there was no necessity of a certificate clearly incorporate the view of the Government of India that the responder was an Indian citizen. The letters thus serve the purpose of a certi Therefore the Supreme Court agreed with the view of the Counsel c i. respondent that they operated as certificate and should be construed as such.
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14. Disposal of application under Secs. 5 and 6.—(1) The prescribe authority or the Central Government may, in its discretion, grant or refus an application under Sec. 5 or Sec. 6 and shall not be required to assign an reasons for such grant or refusal.
(2) Subject to the provisions of Sec. 15, the decision of the prescribe authority or the Central Government on any such application aforesaid sha be final and not be called in question in any court.
15. Revision.-(1) Any person aggrieved by an order made under thi Act by the prescribed authority or any officer or other authority (other tha the Central Government) may, within a period of thirty days from the dat of the order, make an application to the Central Government for a revisio: of that order.
Provided that the Central Government may entertain the applicatio: after the expiry of the said period of thirty days, if it is satisfied that th applicant was prevented by sufficient cause from making the application in time.
(2) On receipt of any such application under sub-section (1), the Central Government, shall after considering the application of the aggrieved perso: and any report thereon which the officer or authority making the order ma submit, make such order in relation to the application as it deems fit, and the decision of the Central Government shall be final.
16. Delegation of powers.-The Central Government may, by order direct that any power which is conferred on it by any of the provisions of thi Act other than those of Sec. 10 and Sec. 18 shall, in such circumstances and under such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the order, be exercisabl also by such officer or authority as may be so specified.
1. Gangdhar Yeshwant Bhandare v. Eras-
972 at p. 981.
mo De Jesus Sequiria, A I.R. 1975 S C.