The much-anticipated Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been implemented in India starting today, Monday, following the release of an official government notification. Approximately five years have passed since the CAA was approved by Parliament, and the government is proceeding with its implementation ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
Home Minister Amit Shah, in his campaign speeches, has often spoken of the CAA's implementation before the Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, the preparations by the Ministry of Home Affairs are complete, leading to the recently released notification.
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Minorities from Three Muslim-Majority Countries to be Granted Citizenship
Under the CAA, minorities from three neighboring Muslim-majority countries, excluding Muslims, are provisioned to be granted citizenship. The government has also prepared a web portal related to the CAA, which will be launched after the notification. These minorities from the neighboring countries will need to register on this portal and, following governmental verification, will be granted citizenship according to the law. Displaced minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will not be required to provide any documents.
Centre Government Amended the Law in 2019
In 2019, the central government, led by Narendra Modi, amended the citizenship law. The amendment provisioned for granting Indian citizenship to six minority groups (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis) who came from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014. According to the rules, only the central government has the authority to grant citizenship.
Read More: CAA to be implemented nationally before elections, government is prepared, web portal also developed
Extensions Since 2020
According to parliamentary procedure, the rules for any law should be framed within 6 months of presidential consent. If not, extensions should be requested from the subordinate legislation committees in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Since 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been regularly taking extensions from parliamentary committees for framing the CAA rules.
Citizenship Granted in 9 States
Over the past two years, district magistrates and home secretaries from over 30 districts across 9 states have been given powers under the Citizenship Act of 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. According to the 2021-22 annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 1,414 foreigners from these non-Muslim minority communities were granted Indian citizenship between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. The 9 states that provided citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra.
