The 2019 Act aims to expedite the process of granting Indian citizenship to individuals who immigrated to India due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians...
The 2019 Act aims to expedite the process of granting Indian citizenship to individuals who immigrated to India due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians.
Days before the dates for the Lok Sabha elections and the Model Code of Conduct's implementation were announced, the Center on Monday made the guidelines under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) public. For the convenience of the applicants, the Ministry of Home Affairs has already established a portal; the full process is completed online.
The Act, introduced in 2019, aims to expedite the process of giving Indian citizenship to persons who came to India due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. This includes Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, excluding Muslims. The year that the candidates entered India without proper documentation must be disclosed.
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Numerous factors, notably the loud demonstrations against the legislation in BJP-ruled states like Assam and Tripura, contributed to the delay in the Act's implementation. The Hindu communities in these states opposed the Bill as well, believing it to be a way to justify the flood of Bangladeshi immigrants.
In December 2019, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 was approved by the legislature. The Lok Sabha adopted the Bill on December 9, and the Rajya Sabha did so on December 11.
What does the Bill contain? According to PRS Legislative Research, the Bill attempted to modify the Citizenship Act, 1955 and sought to offer Indian citizenship to foreign illegal migrants belonging to specific religious communities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
What are the requirements for Indian citizenship? The Citizenship Act, 1955 governed Indian citizenship prior to the new regulations taking effect. According to the Bill, there are five ways to become an Indian citizen: by birth, by descent, by registration, by naturalization (long-term residency in India), and by integration of land into India.
Exclusivity There are some regions where the citizenship modifications for illegal migrants will not apply. These include the tribal regions listed in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which comprise Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura. The states covered by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations of 1873's "Inner Line" authorization are likewise excluded.
Assam's Karbi Anglong, Meghalaya's Garo Hills, Mizoram's Chakma District, and Tripura Tribal territories District are among the Sixth Schedule tribal territories. Additionally, the Inner Line Permit governs travel to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland for everyone, including Indian nationals.
Why Are There Three Countries? In response to inquiries about why the legislation did not include Muslims and why only three nations were taken into account, Shah stated that refugees from Sri Lanka and Uganda had already been granted citizenship at various times. At that time, refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan were not taken into account.
In the past, various governments have occasionally granted citizenship to refugees on an individual basis, subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 14. "This Bill, which is constitutional, has taken into consideration the case of refugees escaping religious persecution from these three countries," Shah stated. "More than 560 Muslims from these three countries have been take citizenship in the last five years up until 2019."
