CAA regulations to be announced by March 2024? Reports say ‘online portal already set up’

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to announce the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 regulations by March 2024, according to media reports. Officials in the MHA have told news media agencies that the announcement is likely to come before enforcement of the model code of conduct. 

The CAA rules, introduced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, aims to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

As per an official, the CAA law can be put into action with the issuance of MHA notifications, allowing eligible individuals to obtain Indian citizenship. The implementation of the CAA, which has been delayed for over four years, necessitates the formulation of its associated rules.

According to an ANI report citing MHA officials "the regulations for the CAA could be announced anytime before the enforcement of the model code of conduct". 

There is a possibility that the code of conduct might be in place in March.

"The regulations are prepared, and an online portal is already set up for the entire process, which will be conducted digitally. Applicants will need to disclose the year of their entry into India without any travel documents. No additional documentation will be required from the applicants," stated the official to ANI.

On December 27, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asserted that the implementation of the CAA cannot be halted as it stands as the law of the land. 

Speaking at a party meeting in Kolkata, Shah emphasized that the BJP is committed to implementing the CAA.

As per the manual of parliamentary procedures, the guidelines for any legislation should have been formulated within six months of receiving the presidential assent, or the government should have sought an extension from the Committees on Subordinate Legislation in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Since 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been regularly seeking extensions from the parliamentary committees to continue the process of framing the rules associated with the legislation.

During the past two years, over 30 district magistrates and home secretaries across nine states have been authorized with the ability to confer Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan under the Citizenship Act of 1955.

Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, Indian citizenship by registration or naturalization is granted to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in nine states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra.

It's notable that authorities in districts of Assam and West Bengal, both politically sensitive regions on this matter, have not been empowered with these citizenship-granting authorities thus far.

(With agency inputs)