Producer: Peuli Bakshi
The Centre on March 11 (Monday) announced the notification of the rules to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The law exempts people from the “illegal immigrant” bracket- the ones who belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community, and are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, and has entered India on or before Dec 31, 2014.
The immigrants who have been exempted by the Central Government or the Foreigners Act under clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, or the provisions of 1946, will not be able to apply for Indian citizenship.
The law exempts the the tribal areas of Karbi Anglong in Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Chakma district in Mizoram and Tribal areas district in Tripura as included in Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Significant protests erupted in the Northeastern region, following Parliament's passage and presidential approval of the CAA in December 2019.
They will have to prove that they have come to India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in their countries, and show that they have lived in India for at least 5 of the last 14 years.
They should speak languages from the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and fulfill the requirements of the Third Schedule of the Civil Code 1955. Then it will be up to the Government of India to grant them citizenship or not.
Refugees who do not qualify (regardless of religion) will continue to be protected under India’s ad-hoc refugee policy, under which long-term stay visas are issued to them to stay in India.