14 Individuals Receive Citizenship Certificates for the First Time under CAA

Union Home Secretary Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla recently presented citizenship certificates to applicants in Delhi, emphasizing the key features of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The CAA, enacted in December 2019, aims to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians.

Under the CAA, the qualification period for citizenship application has been reduced from 11 to 5 years for undocumented non-Muslim migrants who arrived in India before December 31, 2014 from these countries. The Act received presidential assent, but the rules governing the granting of Indian citizenship were issued on March 11 this year, following a delay of over four years.

The ruling BJP attributed the delay in implementation to the pandemic, while the opposition criticized the move as discriminatory, suggesting political motives behind it. Despite this, the government has asserted that the CAA does not prevent persecuted Muslims from applying for Indian citizenship under existing laws.

The implementation of the CAA has sparked protests in various parts of the country, with concerns that the law could lead to the declaration of some individuals as illegal immigrants and the revocation of their Indian citizenship. In response, the government has emphasized that the law aims to support minorities facing persecution in Muslim-majority nations, and reaffirms that no Indian citizen will be required to produce additional documentation to prove their citizenship.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has clarified that the Citizenship Act does not address the deportation of illegal immigrants.