Citizenship Amendment Act: Home Ministry Seeks More Time For Framing Rules; Sixth Extension Sought In Over Two Years

The Union Home Ministry has approached the parliamentary committees seeking more time for framing rules under the CAA through which the Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

The Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019 and the Presidential nod was received the next day. Subsequently, it was notified by the home ministry.

However, the law is yet to be implemented as rules under the CAA are yet to be framed.

According to the Manual on Parliamentary Work, the rules for any legislation should have been framed within six months of presidential assent or seek extension from the Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Since, the home ministry could not frame rules within six months of the enactment of the CAA, it sought time for the committees -- first in June 2020 and then four more times.

The fifth extension came to an end on Monday.

'We have approached the parliamentary committees seeking more time. Hopefully, we will get the extension,' a home ministry official told PTI.

The Central government has already made it clear that the Indian citizenship to the eligible beneficiaries of the CAA will be given only after rules under the legislation are notified.

The objective of the CAA is to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Those from these communities who had come to India till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants and given Indian citizenship.

After the CAA was passed by Parliament, widespread protests were witnessed in different parts of the country leading to deaths of nearly 100 people in police firing and related violence. 

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)