NEW DELHI: Over fours years after the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was practically put on ice, officials in the Union home ministry on Tuesday indicated that its rules would be announced well before the next Lok Sabha polls.
The CAA proposes to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014.
The law had set off a firestorm of protests across the country that resulted in the deaths of over 100 people. The violent agitations ended after over three months during the first Covid lockdown. The government also did not notify the rules of the CAA to manage the situation.
“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 official said. Though some protest against the rules can be expected in the initial days, they will be notified to ensure rights to persecuted non-Muslim migrants, the source said. Asked if the rules could be notified before the LS polls are announced, the official said: “Hope so. To a great extent, take it as ‘yes’.”
“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,” the official said.