Centre Notifies CAA Rules Ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections

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

The government notification comes days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule.

Home Minister Amit Shah, on multiple occasions, said that CAA rules would be notified ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to be held in April-May.

The Citizenship Amendment Act was enacted by Parliament in 2019 but was not implemented as the rules were not notified by the government.

"Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be notifying today, the Rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA-2019). These rules, called the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 will enable the persons eligible under CAA-2019 to apply for grant of Indian citizenship," the MHA said in a post on X on Monday.

"The applications will be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided," it added.

The CAA aims to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted minority groups such as Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or prior to 31 December 2014.

Earlier in January this year, a senior government official had said that the CAA rules will be notified before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by the Election Commission.

There were massive protests in some parts of the country after the CAA was passed by Parliament in December 2019 and received presidential assent subsequently.

"We are going to issue the rules for the CAA soon. Once the rules are issued, the law can be implemented, and those eligible can be granted Indian citizenship," the functionary said.

Delayed by more than four years, rules for the CAA are a must for its implementation.

"The rules are ready and the online portal is also in place, and the entire process will be online. The applicants will have to declare the year when they entered India without travel documents. No document will be sought from the applicants," the official had said.

Earlier on 27 December last year, Union Home Minister said that no one can stop the implementation of the CAA as it is the law of the land and accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misleading people on the issue.

Addressing a party meeting in Kolkata, Shah said it was the BJP's commitment to implement the CAA. The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been opposing the CAA.