The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has generated one of the most important constitutional debates in contemporary India. While the Election Commission of India has described the exercise as an effort to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls, the public discussion has moved far beyond electoral administration. It has reopened fundamental questions concerning citizenship, identity, official documentation and the relationship between the citizen and the sovereign State. Among the questions debated across the country, one has acquired particular significance: What is the legal and constitutional status of an Indian passport? For millions of Indians, the answer appears obvious.