Centre likely to notify CAA rules before election

The Centre could announce the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) before the Election Commission of India (ECI) implements the Model Code of Conduct before the Lok Sabha elections, according to India Today TV. Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that the CAA will be notified before the elections and stated that it does not remove citizenship.

"Our Muslim brothers are being misled against the CAA. The CAA is only meant to give citizenship to those who came to India after facing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It is not for snatching anyone's Indian citizenship," Shah said.

He accused the Congress government of backtracking on their promise to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted refugees. The code of conduct is expected to be implemented in March, with regulations ready and an online portal for the entire procedure. Applicants will need to state their year of entry without travel documents.

CAA full form: Citizenship Amendment Act

What is CAA? (What is Citizenship Amendment Act) - CAA Act Definition

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA Act) was passed by the Indian Parliament on 11 December 2019, amending the Citizenship Act, 1955. The act allows an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, or Christians, who arrived in India before December 2014. 

The CAA act is the first time when religion is used as a criterion for citizenship under Indian law, attracting global criticism. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to offer Indian citizenship to members of persecuted religious minorities who had migrated from neighboring countries. The amendment relaxed the residence requirement for naturalization from twelve years to six.

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