Page 2 - Citizenship Act

AIMIM Chief Owaisi approaches SC seeking stay on implementation of CAA

The Union Home Ministry notified the rules for implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on March 11

'Misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted': India responds to US on CAA

US State Department expressed 'concerned' about the notification of the CAA on March 11, and stated that they would be closely monitoring its implementation in India

Concerned about CAA, closely monitoring its implementation, says US

The United States on Thursday said it is concerned about the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in India and is closely monitoring its implementation. We are concerned about the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on March 11, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily briefing. We are closely monitoring how this act will be implemented. Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities are fundamental democratic principles, Miller said in response to a question. The Indian government implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 on Monday, paving the way for the grant of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. The government also came out with a press statement to say that Indian Muslims need not worry as the CAA will not impact their citizenship and has nothing to do with the community which enjoy

CAA unconstitutional, challenge to idea of India; Cong silent: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the Citizenship Amendment Act was unconstitutional, against human rights, and poses a challenge to the idea of India and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his party of staying silent on the issue. Vijayan, at a press conference here, alleged that the contentious legislation grants legal validity to religious discrimination, but the Congress was withdrawing from a united front against the CAA. In addition, the CM said, the Congress and its national president Mallikarjun Kharge were yet to comment on the recent notification of the CAA rules. He said that the only reaction from the Congress was that by Jairam Ramesh, party general secretary and in-charge of communications, questioning why the rules were hurriedly notified now more than four years after the legislation was passed by the Parliament. Vijayan contended that despite the lack of support from the Congress, the Kerala government will neither bend nor keep sil

People misled over CAA, nobody's citizenship to be snatched: Rajnath

Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, asserting that the legislation would not take away the citizenship of anyone living in India. Addressing a rally in Assam's Barpeta, he said the CAA will grant citizenship to religiously persecuted people who came to India till 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Singh was campaigning for BJP ally Asom Gana Parishad's candidate Phani Bhusan Choudhury, who is contesting the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, currently being represented by Congress MP Abdul Khaleque. "The people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act... I assure you that this Act will not take away the citizenship of any people. It would only grant citizenship," the defence minister said. The Centre on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migran

Govt notified CAA rules a month before LS polls to polarise voters: Cong

On March 11, the Union Home Ministry notified rules for the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)

CAA will never be taken back, says Amit Shah days after Centre notified

The Home Minister was critical of opposition leaders like AIMIM's Asaddudin Owaisi and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for claiming that the CAA was anti-Muslim

MHA to launch helpline number to assist applicants seeking info on CAA

The helpline number will be toll-free and applicants can call from anywhere in India to obtain information related to CAA-2019

Indian Muslims need not worry, CAA has nothing to do with them: Govt

Indian Muslims need not worry as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not impact their citizenship and has nothing to do with the community which enjoys equal rights as their Hindu counterparts, the Home Ministry asserted on Tuesday. The ministry sought to allay fears of a section of Muslims and students regarding the CAA, making it clear that "no Indian citizen would be asked to produce any document to prove his citizenship after this Act." The Centre on Monday notified the ruled for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. In its statement, the Home Ministry said, "Due to the persecution of minorities in those three Muslim countries, the name of Islam was badly tarnished all around the world. However, Islam, being a peaceful religion, never preaches or suggests hatred/violence/any persecution on religious ground." This Act "protects Islam fro

CAA linked to NRC, won't allow detention camps in West Bengal: CM Mamata

"The CAA is related to NRC, that is why we are opposing it. We don't want detention camps like those in Assam," she told reporters here

'Stop telling lies': BJP responds to Arvind Kejriwal's criticism of CAA

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's criticised CAA, calling it 'dirty vote bank politics' by the BJP, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024

CAA in line with promise given by founding fathers: Kerala Governor

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government will not implement CAA in the state

FAQs on CAA: What the govt says about application, eligibility, & more

The CAA application, made completely online requires country of origin, proof of religion, date of entry into India, and language proficiency. Here what the government's release on the CAA rules say

PM Modi's decision right, says Smriti Irani defending CAA amid criticism

CM Banerjee said that CAA was linked to NRC and those who apply for CAA will immediately be considered illegal migrants, although they are citizens of the country

Most tribal areas in northeastern states kept out of purview of CAA rules

Most tribal areas in northeastern states, including those granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, have been kept out of the purview of The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which came into effect on Monday. According to the law, it is also not going to be implemented in those northeastern states where Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is in existence. The ILP is in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur whereby anyone from other parts of the country seeking to visit these states needs special permission from the state government. The tribal areas, where autonomous councils were created under the 6th Schedule, were also exempted from the purview of the CAA, officials said quoting from the law that was passed in 2019. Such autonomous councils are in existence in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. These include Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Bodoland Territorial Council areas in Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya and tribal areas in Tripura.

Refugees applying for CAA can attach 9 documents to prove country of origin

Applicants for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) can submit any of nine documents, including valid or expired passport, ID cards and land tenancy records, to prove he or she is a national of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan. The applicants can also submit any of 20 documents like copy of visa and immigration stamp on arrival in India, certificate issued by an elected member of any rural or urban body or a revenue officer to prove that he or she has entered India on or before December 31, 2014, according to the rules of the CAA issued on Monday. The rules also state that the applicants will have to provide an eligibility certificate issued by a locally reputed community institution confirming that he or she belongs to either Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community and continues to be a member of that community. The government on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules to fast-track ...

Pak Hindu refugees in Jodhpur celebrate as govt notifies CAA implementation

"This is like real Ram Rajya for us," said a Hindu migrant from Pakistan residing here as celebrations broke out after the Centre implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, four years after the contentious law was passed by Parliament. In the settlements of Hindu migrants from Pakistan, the residents lit lamps and burst firecrackers on Monday night soon after the rules to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014, were unveiled. "We had been waiting for this for long. With this (CAA) becoming a reality, many those in line for citizenship can hope to become Indian nationals soon," said Dinesh Bheel, a Hindu migrant from Pakistan. Expressing delight over the development, another migrant Perumal said this would pave the way for citizenship and help the distraught migrants in leading a better life. "We can get citizenship after six years of residing in India. This will help lots of

CAA implemented to create another 'partition', says PDP prez Mehbooba Mufti

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday alleged that the BJP was following the Hindu Mahasabha's concept of two nation theory by implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Implementing the CAA, even when the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, was an attempt to divert attention from the government's failures, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said. In a post on X, she said, "77 years after partition, BJP is still wedded to the concept of two nation theory of Hindu Mahasabha. To further their agenda they have thus implemented CAA to create another partition among our people". "This sudden urgency in its implementation despite the case being pending in honourable SC, is a desperate attempt to divert attention from its all round failures and engage people in hate politics. Appeal all communities especially Muslims not to walk into their trap," she added. CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami charged that the implementation of the CAA was against the basic

No clarity in rules, have doubts over legal validity of CAA rules: Mamata

Attacking the BJP-led government at the Centre over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said there is no clarity in the rules that were notified and she has doubts whether those have legal validity. Addressing a programme in Habra in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee urged the people to think several times before applying for citizenship under the law. "This is a game of taking away the existing rights of citizens and is directly linked to the implementation of the NRC in the country," she claimed. The chief minister alleged that the CAA was unconstitutional and discriminatory.

CAA implementation ahead of LS polls sets stage for politics in Bengal

The implementation of the CAA by the Centre just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls is anticipated to intensify communal polarization, significantly influencing the electoral discourse in West Bengal with both the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC poised to reap political dividend out of it. The CAA, enacted by Parliament in 2019, aims to expedite citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. With the recent notification of the rules, persecuted non-Muslim migrantsHindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christiansfrom these nations are now eligible for Indian nationality. The Bengal BJP views the CAA as a pivotal issue in the upcoming polls, particularly in Matua-dominated constituencies, foreseeing an advantageous position for the party. Conversely, TMC leaders acknowledge the CAA's potential to shape the electoral narrative but intend to leverage it to highlight their stance against the BJP