Agency: The Narendra Modi-led government is poised to announce the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), a legislation passed in December 2019 that sparked nationwide protests. The CAA aims to expedite citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who migrated to India due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. After clearance in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on December 9 and December 11, 2019, respectively, the President’s approval was received on December 12, 2019.
Despite delays caused by protests over the exclusion of Muslims from the eligibility list, the government, asserting the CAA as the ‘law of the land,’ has now prepared the rules. An online portal has been set up to streamline the process, with sources stating that the rules are likely to be notified before the Lok Sabha election schedule is announced by the Election Commission of India. The application process, facilitated through mobile phones, requires applicants to declare their entry year into India without travel documents, and no additional documents will be sought.
The government, which has sought eight extensions for framing rules since the Bill’s passage, has empowered over 30 District Magistrates and Home Secretaries to grant Indian citizenship to eligible individuals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. However, concerns have been raised, especially in Assam and Tripura, regarding the CAA’s potential to permanently alter the states’ demographics. In Assam, the CAA is seen as conflicting with the 1985 Assam Accord, shifting the citizenship cut-off date from March 25, 1971, to December 31, 2014.
(Courtesy: The Financial Express)
