Perak-born man with five Malaysian children loses citizenship appeal
PUTRAJAYA: A 39-year-old Perak-born man with five Malaysian children has failed in his bid to be recognised as a Malaysian citizen after the Court of Appeal ruled that he had not met the constitutional requirements for citizenship.
In a recent citizenship appeal, a 39-year-old man born in Perak with five Malaysian children has been unsuccessful. The Court of Appeal dismissed his claim, finding that he did not meet the constitutional criteria for citizenship. Velmurugan, born on February 24, 1987, in Ulu Bernam, Perak, initially had his birth recorded as "unknown" by the National Registration Department in 2011, with his mother, Balamah, listed as a non-citizen.
Despite applying to amend his birth certificate to reflect his Malaysian citizenship and include his mother's birth certificate number, the department only approved the inclusion of his mother's details but rejected the citizenship change. The appellate court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to establish Balamah's Malaysian citizenship, noting conflicting accounts of her birthplace and family background.
Velmurugan had argued that he had lived in Malaysia his entire life, was of good character, and had never been involved in criminal activities. However, the court dismissed his reliance on Article 19 of the Federal Constitution, which allows for citizenship through naturalisation, stating that this required a separate application to the federal government.
The court found no evidence that the National Registration Department had acted unlawfully, irrationally, or unreasonably in rejecting Velmurugan's application.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
