CAA rules likely to be notified before poll code, to seek proof of India entry, religion

The rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was enacted by Parliament in December 2019 and spawned protests in parts of the country, are likely to be notified within the next fortnight or so, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Tuesday.

“I cannot tell you the date, but they will be notified before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into force,” an official of the MHA said.

The MCC comes into force when the Election Commission announces polls. It is expected that the Lok Sabha poll dates will be announced sometime next month.

Despite its enactment four years ago,the CAA could not be implemented because the rules were not notified.

Sources said the rules will specify the evidence needed for applicants to prove their credentials and eligibility for citizenship under the new law.

The CAA allows non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to apply for Indian citizenship through the naturalisation process – the applicants must belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain and Buddhist communities. The legislation grants citizenship on the basis of the assumption that these communities faced religious persecution in these three Islamic countries.

Sources said the rules to be notified soon will deal with the issue of documents needed to prove that the applicant came from Pakistan or Afghanistan or Bangladesh before December 31, 2014 and belongs to one of the religions mentioned in the Act.

This, sources said, can be done by producing any government document from India through which the applicant can prove that he or she declared her religion as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain or Buddhist while acquiring that document before December 31, 2014.

“For example, if