Centre issues first set of citizenship certificates under CAA
Over two months after notifying rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued the first set of citizenship certificates under the law to 14 people. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over the certificates to the applicants. On March 11, the Centre notified the rules for the CAA, paving the way for the implementation of the controversial law over four years after its passage by Parliament in December 2019.
Why does this story matter?
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, aimed at expediting Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—but not Muslims—fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 9, 2019, and by the Rajya Sabha on December 11, 2019. It received the President's assent on December 12, 2019. The passage of the law sparked widespread protests across the country.
Citizenship application processing, approval
The CAA rules authorize District Level Committees (DLC) to accept applications for Indian citizenship from eligible individuals. They also empower the State Level Empowered Committee to scrutinize these applications before granting citizenship. According to a ministry statement, authorities have been receiving applications from Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who were persecuted on religious grounds and entered India by December 31, 2014.
'Applications processed online'
Additionally, the ministry stated that the DLCs, chaired by designated officers, have administered the oath of allegiance to applicants after verifying their documents. "Processing of applications is completely done through the online portal... The Empowered Committee, Delhi headed by Director (Census Operation), Delhi, after due scrutiny, have decided to grant citizenship to 14 applicants," the government added.
Opposition's argument against CAA
Notably, the CAA has faced opposition from several leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who have vowed not to implement the law. Despite this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah have promised that the law will be implemented across the country. The opposition claims that the CAA discriminates against Muslims and is unconstitutional. In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the opposition of misleading Muslims for vote bank politics.
