‘Rules Under Preparation’: MHA on When CAA Will Come Into Effect

The MHA was asked if the government is planning to implement CAA soon or will the law remain ineffective.

Image used for representation.

(Photo Courtesy: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

More than a year after the Centre passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday, 2 February said that the rules to be implemented are still under preparation.

Responding to a written question by Vellalath Kochukrishnan Nair Sreekandan on whether the government is planning to implement CAA soon or will the law remain ineffective, the MHA said that the relevant committees have granted extensions for preparing the rules.

WHAT WERE THE QUESTIONS ASKED?

Congress MP from Palakkad, Sreekandan asked the following questions in the written form:

• Whether it is a fact that the Government is considering to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act very soon
• Whether the rules under CAA are still under preparation despite the fact that the said Bill was passed more than a year ago
• Whether the Act shall remain ineffective without the rules being notified
• If so, the reaction of the Government thereto

WHAT WAS MHA’S REPLY?

MoS Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said in his reply said that the committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted extension of time.

“The Rules under The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) are under preparation. The Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted extension of time upto 09.04.2021 and 09.07.2021 respectively to frame these rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA),” he said.

BACKGROUND

India saw widespread protests across the country in late 2019 and early 2020 over the passage of the Act which amends the definition of illegal immigrant for Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lived in India without documentation.

The act grants fast track Indian citizenship in six years instead of the earlier required criteria of 12 years for naturalisation.