CAA to be implemented ‘much before Lok Sabha polls, rules have been framed’

The act seeks to grant citizenship to members of Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who entered India before 31 December, 2014 without any document.

Anti-CAA protests in New Delhi (representational image) | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: Four years after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was notified, the rules governing the legislation will be framed and laid out before the general elections this year, ThePrint has learnt.

The Act was passed on 11 December, 2019 and received assent from the President the next day. The home ministry had said it would come into force from 10 January, 2020. However, it could not be implemented since the rules governing the legislation were not framed.

According to the manual on Parliamentary Work, if a ministry is not able to frame the rules governing legislation within the prescribed period of six months after the law is passed, they should seek extension of time from the Committee on Subordinate Legislation stating reasons for the extension.

The home ministry has sought eight extensions in the last four years, the previous one ending in September.

“The rules for the CAA will be issued very soon. We are committed to rolling it out. Once the rules are issued, the law can be implemented,” a source said.

They added that the rules have been drafted and all mechanisms have been put in place.

“The announcement will be made much before the Lok Sabha elections. We have prepared everything,” the source said.

They also said Indian citizenship would be granted to those eligible and the entire process would 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 source said.

The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to members of Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who entered India before 31 December, 2014 without any document.

It exempts members of the six communities from any criminal case under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport Act, 1920, which specify punishment for entering the country illegally and staying on expired visas and permits.

(Edited by Tikli Basu)