New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday officially notified the rules for implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). The law paves the way for fast-tracking citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
With the issuance of the notification, the Modi government can now grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians -- who had come to India till December 31, 2014.
The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the president's assent but there were protests in several parts of the country against it.
The promise of implementing the CAA was a major poll plank of the BJP in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in West Bengal.
Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) | Timeline
December 11, 2023: Parliament passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, aimed at granting citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
December 13, 2023: President Ram Nath Kovind gives his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, turning it into an Act.
December 2019 - Early 2020: Widespread protests erupt across the country in response to the CAA. Over a hundred people lost their lives during the anti-CAA protests or police action.
December 15, 2019: Women of Shaheen Bagh initiate an indefinite sit-in protest in Delhi, which almost lasted until March 2020.
December 15, 2019: BJP leader Kapil Mishra leads a rally in support of the CAA, during which he gave a “three-day” ultimatum to the Delhi Police to get the roads cleared of anti-CAA protesters.
January 30, 2020: A teenager opens fire at students protesting against CAA outside Jamia Millia University, injuring a student.
Post-Feb 2020: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns subdued the protests and discussions surrounding the CAA.
March 2020: Delhi Police confirms the death toll from the riots is 53, including the displacement of thousands, predominantly from the Muslim community.
December 27, 2023: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says no one can stop the implementation of the CAA as it is the law of the land at a Bengal rally.
January 29, 2024: Union Minister Shantanu Thakur declares at a public rally in Bengal that the CAA will be implemented across all states in India within seven days.
Feb 10, 2024: Amit Shah says rules for implementing CAA will be issued before the coming Lok Sabha poll, and the process to grant Indian nationality to the beneficiaries will start soon after.
March 11, 2024: The Home Ministry officially notifies the rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).