Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday stated in Rajya Sabha that the rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 are under preparation and the Act has already come into force with effect from October 1, 2020.
The Ministry made the statement in response to Congress MP Digvijaya Singh’s question on whether it has drafted the rules to be notified under CAA. “If yes, then what are details including the date by which the rules are expected to be notified. If not, then what are the reasons?” he questioned. Responding to his query, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that the Act has been notified on December 12, 2019.
“It has come into force with effect from October 1, 2020. The rules under the Act are under preparation. The committee on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted an extension of time up to April 9 and July 9 respectively to frame these rules,” Rai added.
The CAA was passed in December last year. The law grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and came to India before 2015. In February, violence took place in the northeast area of Delhi between groups supporting and opposing the CAA which led to the deaths of at least 53 people.