Today (12 March): A Muslim organization (IUML) has filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking the suspension of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
NEW DELHI: 12th March: Today, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has approached the Supreme Court, requesting to stay the enforcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
On Monday, the Government put into effect the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), officially announcing the regulations four years following their passage in Parliament, just ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha election. Despite being approved by Parliament in December 2019 and receiving presidential assent thereafter, the CAA triggered extensive protests across the country. Various opposition parties denounced the legislation, denoting it as “discriminatory.”. The demonstrations and subsequent police actions reportedly resulted in more than 100 fatalities, as per the sources.
What is Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019?
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) alters the Citizenship Act of 1955, providing a route to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis who migrated from neighboring Muslim-majority nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.
Under the 2019 amendment, migrants arriving in India by December 31, 2014, who faced “religious persecution or fear of religious persecution” in their country of origin, are eligible for expedited citizenship.
Who Can Apply for Citizenship?
As per Section 6B of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, applications for citizenship through registration or naturalization will be considered only if the individual is:
- Of Indian descent.
- Married to an Indian citizen.
- A minor child of an Indian citizen.
- Born to documented Indian citizens.
- An individual or the child of an individual who was an Indian citizen at India’s independence.
- Holds Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status.
Document Requirements
The new regulations stipulate that applicants for Indian citizenship must furnish two specific documents:
- An affidavit confirming the accuracy of the statements provided in the application, accompanied by an affidavit from an Indian citizen attesting to the applicant’s character.
- A declaration from the applicant affirming adequate knowledge of one of the languages specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
[Read Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019]
