SURYAThe Ministry of Home Affairs is gearing up to unveil the regulations for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 before the model code of conduct kicks in for the Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources familiar with the matter as reported by India Today TV, the Central government may roll out the rules for the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) before the Election Commission of India (ECI) puts the Model Code of Conduct into effect for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has recently emphasized that the implementation of CAA will happen prior to the Lok Sabha elections. He reiterated that the Act does not revoke anyone’s citizenship, as it doesn’t contain any such provision.
“Our Muslim brothers are being misled and agitated against the CAA,” Shah said. He clarified that the CAA solely aims to grant citizenship to those who fled persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and it does not intend to revoke anyone’s Indian citizenship.
Shah also accused the Congress government of reneging on its promise to provide Indian citizenship to refugees persecuted in the aforementioned countries.
It’s anticipated that the code of conduct might be put into effect at any time in March. The regulations are set, and an online platform for the entire procedure, which will be conducted digitally, is already operational.
Applicants will simply need to state the year of their entry into India without any travel documents, and no further documentation will be required. News agency ANI reported, quoting sources,
“The regulations are finalized, and an online portal is already established for the entire process, which will be conducted digitally. Applicants will need to disclose the year of their entry into India without any travel documents. No additional documentation will be required from the applicants.”
The CAA, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, aims to grant Indian citizenship to oppressed non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India prior to December 31, 2014.
The CAA 2019 seeks to amend the Citizenship Amendment Act of 1955 to provide a speedy pathway to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in their home countries.
The enactment of CAA triggered protests at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh and protest gatherings in Assam’s Guwahati following its approval by Parliament in December 2019 and subsequent presidential consent.
More than a hundred individuals have lost their lives during these protests or due to police actions following the law’s passage. However, the protests waned during the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns.
Despite being passed in Parliament over four years ago, the CAA has not been implemented yet as the rules and procedures were still pending finalization.
