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Citizenship Amendment Bill
What does it do and why is it seen as a problem
The opposition says the Bill violates Article 14 of the Indian Constitution — the Right to Equality.
- The bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make people from Hindu, Sikh, Jain Buddhist, Christian and Parsi faiths who entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for citizenship.
- In case a person belongs to the aforementioned faiths, from these three countries, does not have proof of birth of parents, they can apply for Indian citizenship after six years of residence in India.
- The amended bill applies to people who were “forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion..”.
- The bill also aims to shield such people from proceedings of illegal migration
WHAT IS THE CUT-OFF DATE?
The cut-off date for people to be eligible for citizenship is December 31, 2014. This means they need to have entered India on or before that date. Under the current law, citizenship is given either to people born in India or if they have resided in the country for a minimum of 11 years.
TWO EXCEPTIONS PROVIDED IN CAB
There are two exceptions to the bill. The CAB will not apply to areas under the sixth schedule of the Constitution – which deals with autonomous tribal-dominated regions in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. The bill will also not apply to states that have the inner-line permit regime (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram). These exceptions didn’t exist in the earlier version.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE GOVERNMENT?
- The amendments proposed in the Citizenship Amendment Act 1955 will extend the facility of Indian citizenship to a specific class of persons who are presently facing hardships in acquiring citizenship,” the amended bill reads.
- The bill will also enable the govt to cancel the registration of someone’s OCI card if they violate the provisions of the citizenship law or any other law.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM NRC?
- The recently completed National Register of Citizens process in Assam was aimed at weeding out illegal immigrants from citizenship rolls. It mandated that a person had to prove that either they or their ancestors were present in Assam on or before March 24, 1971. The next day, the war of liberation in Bangladesh began, sending tens of thousands of refugees into India.
- The government has said it will extend the NRC process to the rest of India. The NRC process in Assam was not based on religion. The CAB, on the other hand, is targeted towards certain faiths.
The opposition says the Bill violates Article 14 of the Indian Constitution — the Right to Equality.
- The bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make people from Hindu, Sikh, Jain Buddhist, Christian and Parsi faiths who entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for citizenship.
- In case a person belongs to the aforementioned faiths, from these three countries, does not have proof of birth of parents, they can apply for Indian citizenship after six years of residence in India.
- The amended bill applies to people who were “forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion..”.
- The bill also aims to shield such people from proceedings of illegal migration
WHAT IS THE CUT-OFF DATE?
The cut-off date for people to be eligible for citizenship is December 31, 2014. This means they need to have entered India on or before that date. Under the current law, citizenship is given either to people born in India or if they have resided in the country for a minimum of 11 years.
TWO EXCEPTIONS PROVIDED IN CAB
There are two exceptions to the bill. The CAB will not apply to areas under the sixth schedule of the Constitution – which deals with autonomous tribal-dominated regions in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. The bill will also not apply to states that have the inner-line permit regime (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram). These exceptions didn’t exist in the earlier version.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE GOVERNMENT?
- The amendments proposed in the Citizenship Amendment Act 1955 will extend the facility of Indian citizenship to a specific class of persons who are presently facing hardships in acquiring citizenship,” the amended bill reads.
- The bill will also enable the govt to cancel the registration of someone’s OCI card if they violate the provisions of the citizenship law or any other law.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM NRC?
- The recently completed National Register of Citizens process in Assam was aimed at weeding out illegal immigrants from citizenship rolls. It mandated that a person had to prove that either they or their ancestors were present in Assam on or before March 24, 1971. The next day, the war of liberation in Bangladesh began, sending tens of thousands of refugees into India.
- The government has said it will extend the NRC process to the rest of India. The NRC process in Assam was not based on religion. The CAB, on the other hand, is targeted towards certain faiths.
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