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Less than a month before the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government notified the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. The act allows the members of six minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship faster. While notifying the rules, the government said that the act aims to ensure proper resettlement of these persecuted minorities, who faced years of oppression.
The 2019 act sparked intense protests across the nation and was kept in cold storage for more than 4 years. Earlier, the sources from the Union Home Ministry indicated that the government plans to notify the CAA rules before general elections.
Who can apply for citizenship under CAA 2019?
The applicants who migrated to India before 31 December 2014 from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh due to “religious persecution” and belong to 6 religious minorities- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian are eligible to get citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019.
How to apply for citizenship under CAA 2019?
1. An application for registration or naturalization under section 6B shall be submitted by the applicant in electronic form to the Empowered Committee through the District Level Committee as may be notified by the Central Government.
2. On submission of the application, an acknowledgment in Form IX shall be generated electronically.
3. The District Level Committee headed by the Designated Officer, as may be specified, shall verify the documents submitted by the applicant along with the application.
4. The Designated Officer shall administer to the applicant the oath of allegiance as specified in the Second Schedule to the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955) and thereafter, sign the oath of allegiance and forward the same in electronic form along with confirmation regarding verification of documents to the Empowered Committee.
5. In case an applicant fails to appear in person to subscribe to the application and take oath of allegiance despite giving reasonable opportunities, the District Level Committee shall forward such application to Empowered Committee for consideration of refusal.”.
6. The Empowered Committee referred to in rule 11A may scrutinize the application for grant of citizenship by registration or naturalization submitted by an applicant under section 6B to ensure that the application is complete in all respects and that the applicant satisfies all the conditions laid down in section 6B.
7. On being satisfied after making such inquiry as it considers necessary for ascertaining the suitability of the applicant that he is a fit and proper person to be registered or naturalized, as the case may be, the Empowered Committee may grant him the citizenship of India.
Requirement of special documents
Moreover, the rules mention two additional documents other than those in Section 6B of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules. These are:
1. An affidavit verifying the correctness of the statements made in the application along with an affidavit from an Indian citizen testifying the character of the applicant.
2. A declaration from the applicant that he has adequate knowledge of one of the languages as specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
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Published: 12 Mar 2024, 06:00 AM IST
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