Union government expands ambit of CAA rules

New Delhi: The Union government expanded the ambit of rules listed under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in a bid to facilitate the grant of Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, The Indian Express reported.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that any document issued by the Central or state governments or a quasi-judicial body in India which proves that either of the parents, grandparents or great-grandparents is or had been a citizen of one of the three countries will be acceptable.

The new change was brought about after many applicants reported difficulties while seeking Indian citizenship under the CAA, 2019 due to a particular clause in the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.

TIE quoted an earlier clause, “Any document that shows that either of the parents or grandparents or great grandparents of the applicant is or had been a citizen of one of the three countries, i.e. of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan.”

However, the ministry clarified in its latest notification, “It may be clarified that the documents under Sr No. 8 of the Schedule-1A may include any document issued by the central government/state government/any judicial or quasi-judicial body in India such as land record, judicial order etc., identifying or representing that the applicant or the parents or grandparents or great grandparents had been a national of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan.”

“The above clarification may be taken note of while deciding any citizenship application under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA),” the notification read.

The CAA passed in December 2019 will grant Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. Though it got the President’s nod in days, the rules under which Indian citizenship would be granted were issued only in March.