Union Home Ministry implements CAA ahead Lok Sabha elections; top 5 highlights

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) regulations for India’s implementation were announced by the Union Home Ministry on Monday.

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By Sneha Sengupta On Mar 11, 2024

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) regulations for India’s implementation were announced by the Union Home Ministry on Monday. In 2019, the nation saw the passage of the measure by Parliament, which immediately provoked widespread demonstrations.

“Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be notifying today the Rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA-2019). These rules, called the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 will enable the persons eligible under CAA-2019 to apply for a grant of Indian citizenship,” the Union Ministry for Home Affairs mentioned on X

“The applications will be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided,” it continued.

5 key highlights

Six religious minorities that fled religious persecution in their home countries to move to India are granted expedited citizenship as a result of this statute.

1. Six religious minorities—Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian—have their Indian citizenship applications processed more quickly according to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

2. According to the regulations, individuals belonging to the six religious minorities that face persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and who relocated to India prior to December 31, 2014, are qualified to apply for citizenship under the CAA 2019.

3. By lowering the length of time these persecuted minorities must remain in India as residents from 11 to 5 years, the CAA eliminates the legal obstacles to their relocation and naturalization. This means that under the CAA 2019, those belonging to the six religious minorities who immigrated to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh and who did so five years prior to December 31, 2014, will be able to apply for Indian citizenship.

4. The Home Ministry clarified in the order that the CAA is only intended to assist those who have been subjected to religious persecution for an extended period of time and have no other place to go but India. It does not take away the citizenship of any Indian person.

5. The charges that the CAA purposefully excludes one population from its regulations, in violation of the Indian Constitution and the fundamental right to equality, provoked massive protests across the country.