Under the Citizenship Act of India, a citizen of India will lose citizenship if he or she does which of the following? 1. Renounces Indian citizenship 2. Voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country 3. Marries a citizen of another country 4. Openly criticises the Government. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Introduction / Context:
Citizenship confers important rights and duties, and the Constitution along with the Citizenship Act lays down how citizenship can be acquired and under what conditions it can be terminated. For examination purposes, it is essential to distinguish between lawful grounds on which a person may lose Indian citizenship and actions that do not by themselves lead to loss of citizenship. This question checks understanding of the legal mechanisms of renunciation and termination, as distinct from unrelated factors like marriage or political criticism.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question is about ways in which a citizen of India can lose citizenship under the law.
• Four possibilities are listed: renouncing citizenship, voluntarily acquiring another citizenship, marrying a foreign citizen, and criticising the Government.
• The task is to select the correct combination of actions that legally lead to loss of citizenship.
• We assume the framework of the Citizenship Act and relevant constitutional provisions.

Concept / Approach:
Under the Citizenship Act, there are several recognised modes by which citizenship may terminate, including renunciation, termination due to voluntary acquisition of citizenship of another country, and deprivation by an order of the Government in certain cases. Renunciation occurs when a person voluntarily declares in a prescribed form that he or she renounces Indian citizenship. Termination may occur automatically if a citizen voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country, subject to certain safeguards. However, marriage to a foreign citizen does not by itself result in automatic loss of Indian citizenship, and criticising the Government is related to freedom of speech, not citizenship status.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that renunciation of citizenship is explicitly provided for in the Citizenship Act. A person can voluntarily declare that he or she renounces Indian citizenship, which can lead to loss of citizenship. Step 2: Remember that voluntary acquisition of citizenship of another country is also a recognised ground for automatic termination of Indian citizenship under the Act, subject to certain procedures. Step 3: Consider whether marriage to a foreign citizen is listed as a ground for loss of citizenship. The law does not state that simply marrying a foreign national causes a person to lose Indian citizenship. Step 4: Evaluate the statement about openly criticising the Government. While such criticism could lead to defamation or security related issues in extreme cases, it is generally protected under freedom of speech and is not in itself a ground for loss of citizenship. Step 5: Conclude that items 1 and 2 are correct grounds for loss of citizenship, while items 3 and 4 are not. Step 6: Select the option that lists 1 and 2 only.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by remembering the major headings in standard polity textbooks dealing with termination of citizenship. They usually list three main heads: renunciation, termination, and deprivation. Renunciation and termination relate respectively to voluntary renouncing and voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship. Deprivation is an action by the Government in limited circumstances such as fraud, disloyalty, or certain offences. None of these include marriage or criticism as automatic grounds. This pattern confirms that only the first two statements in the question match established grounds for loss of citizenship.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The option that lists 1, 2, and 3 incorrectly adds marriage to a foreign citizen as a ground for loss of citizenship, which is not found in the Citizenship Act. The option that lists 2, 3, and 4 wrongly treats both marriage and criticism of the Government as grounds, which they are not. The option that lists 1 and 4 combines renunciation, which is valid, with criticism of the Government, which is unrelated to citizenship status. Therefore, all these combinations misrepresent the legal provisions.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is to assume that marrying a foreign citizen automatically changes a person’s citizenship status. In reality, marriage may facilitate acquiring another citizenship, but it does not by itself terminate Indian citizenship unless the person actually acquires foreign citizenship in terms of the law. Another pitfall is confusing political dissent or criticism with disloyalty sufficient to deprive citizenship. Democratic systems allow criticism within legal limits and do not treat it as a ground for loss of citizenship by default.

Final Answer:
A citizen of India will lose citizenship if he or she renounces Indian citizenship and or voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country, that is, items 1 and 2 only.