Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the notification of the Citizenship Amendment Act’s (CAA) rules, facilitating its nationwide implementation. The law simplifies the process for Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, and Parsi refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to acquire Indian citizenship. According to an official statement, the MHA will release the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, allowing eligible individuals under the CAA-2019 to apply for Indian citizenship. Applications will be accepted through an online portal.
This development follows Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent declaration that the law would be enforced before the Lok Sabha elections. The CAA aims to grant citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from the mentioned countries who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Despite protests that erupted nationwide after the law’s enactment in 2019, Shah reiterated that the CAA would proceed as planned, emphasizing its importance as a humanitarian effort to assist persecuted refugees. He reassured minorities that the law would not affect their citizenship status.