CAA rules likely to be notified before Lok Sabha poll announcement: Report

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to notify the rules for the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) within the next couple of weeks, reported The Indian Express.

These rules will be put in place before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into effect, which typically happens when election dates are announced, according to the report.

The rules will outline the evidence required for applicants to prove their eligibility for citizenship under the CAA.

The CAA amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 to provide a path to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis who migrated from neighbouring Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.

The enactment of the CAA sparked a massive controversy and widespread protests across India, with critics arguing that it discriminates against Muslims and undermines the secular principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The government, on the other hand, defended the law as a humanitarian measure aimed at protecting persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries.

The evidence of religious persecution, however, will not likely be sought, according to the report, as it will be presumed that those who migrated did so due to persecution or fear of persecution.

The CAA was passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019, and was notified on December 12 of the same year. However, the controversial law has not been implemented because the rules were not notified.

Earlier this month, Union home minister Amit Shah said that the CAA rules will be notified and implemented before the Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking at the ET-Now Global Business Summit (GBS) in Delhi, Shah said, “The CAA is an act of the country. It will be notified before the polls (upcoming Lok Sabha elections). There should be no confusion about it”.

“It (the law) was a promise of the Congress government. When the country was divided, and the minorities were persecuted in those countries, Congress assured the refugees that they were welcome in India and that they would be provided with Indian citizenship. But they backtracked,” Shah added.