The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a piece of law aimed to give religious minorities from neighboring nations an opportunity to Indian citizenship, was the subject of an upsurge of protests and debates that India witnessed. A simple legal reform quickly deteriorated into a national controversy that prompted debates over secularism, constitutional principles, and the basic tenets of Indian identity.
Citizenship Amendment Act: Latest Update
- As per the CAA news, on Tuesday, March 19, the union government received notice from the Supreme Court regarding many applications requesting the suspension of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as well as the Citizenship Amendment Rules 2024.
- On April 9, the court posted the matter to get a response from the Union.
What Is CAA
- On December 11, 2019, the Indian Parliament enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (caa), amending the Citizenship Act of 1955.
- The Citizenship Act of 1955 was amended by the CAA to provide Indian citizenship to migrants who arrived in India on or before December 2014 as a result of religious persecution back home. These migrants include members of the Buddhist, Parsi, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Parsi communities as well as Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
- Under the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, immigrants who reached India by December 31, 2014, were qualified for expedited Indian citizenship.
- The eleven-year residency needed to qualify for naturalization was dropped to five years by the change. The Act was heavily criticized for not encompassing Muslims under its purview.
Citizen Amendment Act 2019: Its Features
- It suggests that even if they entered India without proper documentation, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Hindus from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan won’t be considered illegal immigrants.
- It aims to add column to the citizenship application for candidates from those three countries who are members of these six communities.
- The Foreigners Act of 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act of 1920 prohibit their deportation as unlawful immigrants.
- The modification shortens the residency requirement for obtaining permanent citizenship by naturalization from 12 years (as stated in the Citizenship Act, 1955) to 7 years.
- If the Citizenship Act or any other law is broken, it also gives the government the authority to revoke an individual’s OCI registration.
The 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act: What Is Not Included?
- Since 2019, the major opposition parties have maintained that because the law singles out Muslims, who make up around 15% of the country’s population, it discriminates against them.
- The government assures that every submission from a different community will be given individual consideration, but clarifies that Muslims cannot be considered persecuted minorities because Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh are Islamic nations where the majority of people are Muslims.
CAA Act 2019: Recent News
A few weeks before the country voted to select a new government, the guidelines for the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 were made public today. The Center has requested that rules be implemented before the elections in 2024.
- Citizenship by law will be awarded to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
- Indian citizenship will be granted to the immigrant who has lived in India for the last year and at least five of the preceding 14 years. In the past, immigrants received citizenship by naturalization after 11 years.
- The tribal areas of Karbi Anglong in Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Chakma district in Mizoram, as well as Tribal areas district in Tripura, are exempt from the law under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
- There were lengthy protests across the nation, particularly in the Northeast, in the wake of the president’s assent to the California Accord, which was approved by Parliament in December 2019.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that the regulations for the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 would be released and implemented before the Lok Sabha elections.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, which the Modi government enacted just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, has sparked contentious debates and demonstrations. Some who support it regard it as a humanitarian gesture, while others argue it is a provocative tactic designed to split people along religious lines. The fact that the law was implemented right before elections has only fuelled the fires and widened the partisan divide.
Citizenship Amendment Act 2024 News FAQs
What is the Citizenship Amendment Act 2024?
For persecuted minorities who fled Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India before 2014, the regulations speed up the citizenship process.
What is the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act?
The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to expedite Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, as well as Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. The Center notified the Citizenship Amendment Rules last week to implement the Act.
Why do Muslims oppose CAA?
The citizenship bill, according to critics and Muslim organizations, will shield non-Muslims who are not included in the register, while Muslims may be interned or deported. The bill “legitimizes discrimination based on religion.”
Who introduced CAA in India?
In 2016, the BJP government first proposed a measure to change the citizenship statute that would have granted Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
What is CAA 2024?
People who meet the requirements of CAA-2019 can now apply for Indian citizenship thanks to the release of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which is a crucial step in helping those who are being persecuted find safety. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) regulations were formally published by the Union Home Ministry.
What is the latest amendment of the Citizenship Amendment Act?
The CAA regulations aim to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who were subjected to persecution and arrived in India before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
What is the main point of CAA?
The purpose of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is to safeguard those who have fled religious persecution in India. It provides a safeguard against proceedings related to illegal migration. Applicants must have arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, to be eligible for citizenship.
Is CAA passed by Parliament?
On December 11, 2019, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 (CAA) was passed by the Indian Parliament. By offering an expedited route to Indian citizenship for oppressed religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who arrived in India by 2014, it modified the Citizenship Act, of 1955.
Who is eligible for CAA in India?
The CAA only covers foreign nationals who, as a result of religious persecution, fled their home nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan for India before December 31, 2014, and who declare themselves to be Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, or Hindu.
Who is called a citizen of India?
All individuals who were residing in India at the time of the Constitution’s adoption on January 26, 1950, and
- who were either born there,
- having parents born there, or
- had been a regular resident of India for at least five years, and were granted Indian citizenship.
What are the features of citizenship?
In general terms, citizenship is a prerequisite for all political rights, such as the ability to vote and hold public office. Citizenship typically entails obligations to taxes, the military, and allegiance. Citizenship is regarded to be the most privileged form of nationality.
Read our latest blog: Abortion Rights in India
With the goal of giving students the best coaching available for law entrance exams including the CLAT, AILET, and various other state judiciary exams, Jyoti Judiciary Coaching, India’s Finest educational Platform, was established. Come enroll now with Jyoti Judiciary!
For any latest news, legal topics, judiciary exams notifications, patterns, etc watch Jyoti Judiciary’s YouTube channel for legal videos for any updates at https://youtube.com/@jyotijudiciarycoaching4852?si=2cwubh9d2A9urwJf