Assam: Centre Rolls Out CAA; To Notify Rules Today

GUWAHATI: After more than four years of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) being passed by the parliament, the Union Home Ministry will officially issue the rules on Monday.

The CAA aims to expedite the citizenship process for non-Muslims who entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 21, 2014.

As per reports, officials stated that the entire application process for eligible individuals to apply for Indian citizenship under the law will be conducted online.

These rules have been formulated months after the Union Home Minister Amit Shah pledged to complete this process before the 2024 national elections, scheduled for this summer.

It is expected that Union Home Ministry will notify the rules for CAA later today.

The CAA was enacted in December 2019 and came into force on January 10, 2020.

As per parliamentary procedures, rules for any legislation should have been formulated within six months of receiving presidential assent. Failure to do so requires an extension from the Committees on Subordinate Legislation in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The Union home ministry has since 2020 taken extensions at regular intervals from the committees for framing the rules for eligible people to submit applications for Indian citizenship.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma cautioned political parties against using ‘bandhs’ as a protest method against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Various organizations have taken to streets to protest the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

Addressing the media, the CM said that while organizations have to freedom to protest against the cAA and call for strikes, political parties do not have the same privileges.

He stated, “Political parties calling for bandhs would be in contempt of a high court order. If they proceed despite this, we will approach the Election Commission to freeze their symbols.”

The chief minister also urged organizations to halt their protests, pointing out that the CAA was passed more than two years ago.

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