CAA RULES UNDER PREPARATION, EXERCISE PUSHED TO JULY: MHA IN LS

The ministry of home affairs on Tuesday informed Parliament that the rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) “are under preparation” and the ministry has secured extension till July to complete the exercise.

In a written response in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai said, “The Rules under The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 are under preparation. The Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted extension of time up to April 9, 2021 and July 9, 2021, respectively to frame these rules under the CAA.”

The CAA, which came into force with effect from January 10, 2020, facilitates the grant of Indian citizenship to people from non-muslim minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians, fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Protests erupted across the country after the law was passed in Parliament in December in 2019. Delhi, the epicenter of the protests, witnessed riots in which over 50 people were killed.