New Delhi: Ahead of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Centre may implement the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) passed by Parliament in December 2019.
Media reports suggested that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to announce the implementation in the next two weeks.
Sources revealed that the forthcoming guidelines will outline the necessary documentation required for applicants to substantiate their identity and eligibility for citizenship under the new law.
What is CAA
The CAA enables non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to seek Indian citizenship through the naturalisation process, provided they belong to Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain or Buddhist communities. The legislation is based on the presumption that these communities encountered religious persecution in the aforementioned Islamic countries.
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The impending rules are expected to address the documentation required to verify that applicants arrived from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh before December 31, 2014, and are affiliated with one of the religions specified in the Act. Sources indicate that this can be established by presenting any Indian government document where the applicant declared their religion as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain, or Buddhist prior to December 31, 2014.
“For instance, if someone enrolled their children in a government school, they would have declared their religion. If someone obtained Aadhaar before December 31, 2014, and declared one of the mentioned religions, it will be deemed acceptable. Similarly, any government document indicating religion will be considered,” the sources explained.
Additionally, the MHA may accommodate a request from Assam to impose a time limit for applying under the CAA. Assam proposed a three-month time frame, fearing that an open-ended application process could exacerbate concerns over the CAA in the state.
The guidelines are unlikely to demand evidence of religious persecution but will presume that those who came to India did so due to persecution or fear of persecution.
In recent months, several Central ministers have reiterated that the CAA will be enforced before the Lok Sabha polls.
While the MCC becomes effective when the Election Commission announces elections, it is anticipated that the dates for the Lok Sabha polls will be disclosed sometime next month. Despite being enacted four years ago, the CAA could not be executed due to the absence of official guidelines.
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