The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is a restricted and narrowly-tailored laws that seeks to supply a leisure to particular communities from specified international locations with a transparent closing date, taking a compassionate and ameliorative view, in line with the annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The CAA, which was enacted in 2019 however is but to be carried out, goals to grant citizenship to these members of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who confronted persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The enactment of the legislation triggered protests, resulting in about 100 deaths in numerous components of the nation.
The protesters claimed that the legislation violates the Constitution because it goals to grant Indian citizenship on the premise of faith — barring Muslims.
“The CAA is a limited and narrowly tailored legislation which seeks to provide a relaxation to aforesaid specific communities from the specified countries with a clear cut-off date. It is a compassionate and ameliorative legislation,” the MHA annual report for 2020-21 mentioned.
It mentioned the CAA doesn’t apply to Indian residents and due to this fact, doesn’t in any means take away or abridge their rights.
Further, the current authorized means of buying Indian citizenship by any foreigner of any class as offered within the Citizenship Act, 1955 could be very a lot operational and the CAA doesn’t amend or alter this authorized place in any method in any respect, the report identified.
Hence, authorized migrants of any faith from any nation will proceed to get Indian citizenship as soon as they fulfil the eligibility circumstances offered within the legislation for registration or naturalisation, it mentioned.
The Constitution has offered particular provisions beneath the Sixth Schedule to grant safety to the tribal and indigenous individuals of the northeastern area.
The CAA has excluded the areas beneath the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the areas lined by the Inner Line Permit system beneath the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, the report famous.
“Hence, the CAA does not affect the protection granted by the Constitution to indigenous population of northeastern states,” it mentioned.
The CAA was notified on December 12, 2019 and got here into pressure on January 10, 2020. It goals to facilitate grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who had come to India on or earlier than December 31, 2014.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”