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Article 9
1. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with
men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They
shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an
alien nor change of nationality by the husband during
marriage shall automatically change the nationality of
the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the
nationality of the husband.
2. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with
men with respect to the nationality of their children.
Article 15
1. States Parties shall accord to women equality with
men before the law.
2. States Parties shall accord to women, in civil
matters, a legal capacity identical to that of men and
the same opportunities to exercise that capacity.
In particular, they shall give women equal rights to
conclude contracts and to administer property and
shall treat them equally in all stages of procedure in
courts and tribunals.
3. States Parties agree that all contracts and all other
private instruments of any kind with a legal effect
which is directed at restricting the legal capacity of
women shall be deemed null and void.
4. States Parties shall accord to men and women the
same rights with regard to the law relating to the
movement of persons and the freedom to choose
their residence and domicile.
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consent;
(c) The same rights and responsibilities
during marriage and at its dissolution;
(d) The same rights and responsibilities as parents,
irrespective of their marital status, in matters relating
to their children; in all cases the interests of the
children shall be paramount;
(e) The same rights to decide freely and responsibly on
the number and spacing of their children and to have
access to the information, education and means to
enable them to exercise these rights;
(f) The same rights and responsibilities with regard to
guardianship, wardship, trusteeship and adoption of
children, or similar institutions where these concepts
exist in national legislation; in all cases the interests of
the children shall be paramount;
(g) The same personal rights as husband and wife,
including the right to choose a family name, a
profession and an occupation;
(h) The same rights for both spouses in respect of the
ownership, acquisition, management, administration,
enjoyment and disposition of property, whether free
of charge or for a valuable consideration.
2. The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have
no legal effect, and all necessary action, including
legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age
for marriage and to make the registration of marriages
in an official registry compulsory.
Article 5. Citizenship at the commencement of
the Constitution: At the commencement of this
Constitution, every person who has his domicile in the
territory of India and—
(a) who was born in the territory of India; or
(b) either of whose parents was born in the territory of
India; or
(c) who has been ordinarily resident in the territory
of India for not less than five years immediately
preceding such commencement, shall be a citizen of
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Article 16
1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures
to eliminate discrimination against women in all
matters relating to marriage and family relations and
in particular shall ensure, on a basis of equality of men
and women:
(a) The same right to enter into marriage;
(b) The same right freely to choose a spouse and
to enter into marriage only with their free and full
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India.
Article 6. Rights of citizenship of certain persons who
have migrated to India from Pakistan: Notwithstanding
anything in article 5, a person who has migrated to
the territory of India from the territory now included in
Pakistan shall be deemed to be a citizen of India at the
commencement of this Constitution if—
(a) he or either of his parents or any of his
grand-parents was born in India as defined in the
Government of India Act, 1935 (as originally enacted);
and
(b) (i) in the case where such person has so migrated
before the nineteenth day of July, 1948, he has been
ordinarily resident in the territory of India since the
date of his migration, or
(ii) in the case where such person has so migrated on
or after the nineteenth day of July, 1948, he has been
registered as a citizen of India by an officer appointed
in that behalf by the Government of the Dominion
of India on an application made by him therefore
to such officer before the commencement of this
Constitution in the form and manner prescribed by
that Government: Provided that no person shall be so
registered unless he has been resident in the territory
of India for at least six months immediately preceding
the date of his application.
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Article 7. Rights of citizenship of certain migrants to
Pakistan: Notwithstanding anything in articles 5 and
6, a person who has after the first day of March, 1947,
migrated from the territory of India to the territory
now included in Pakistan shall not be deemed to be a
citizen of India:
Provided that nothing in this article shall apply to a
person who, after having so migrated to the territory
now included in Pakistan, has returned to the territory
of India under a permit for resettlement or permanent
return issued by or under the authority of any law and