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Essay on CAA: The Indian Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act on 11th December 2019 after long debates. CAA will provide Indian citizenship to the 6 minority communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who have been living illegally in India. These 6 communities are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Opposition, on the other hand, has claimed that the CAA is unconstitutional and will deprive the rights of citizenship.
Essay on CAA is often asked in academic tests and competitive tests. You need to understand all the dimensions of this newly enacted law to secure better marks. This page will discuss the history of the Citizenship Amendment Act, the new rules added by the Indian Government, and other important details. Stay tuned!
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Table of Contents
Important Points of the CAA
- The CAA will benefit thousands of Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis, who have been living in India illegally or on long-term visas (LTV).
- CAA is only applicable to people who entered India illegally before 31st December 2014.
- Individuals with any criminal records will not be eligible for Indian citizenship under the Foreigners Act, of 1946 and the Passport Act, of 1920.
- These two acts specify punishments for entering or residing illegally in India or staying after the expiration of their visas.
- The Muslim community has been excluded from the CAA since the above-mentioned countries are Muslim-majority countries.
History of the Citizenship Amendment Act
The Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha (House of Commons) in 2016 as an amendment to the Citizenship Act of 1955. The Joint Parliamentary Committee concluded its report on the CAA Bil on 7th January 2019. On 8th and 11th January 2019, the CAA Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and was sent for the President’s assent.
The Citizenship Amendment Act will provide Indian citizenship to 6 communities of India’s three neighboring countries; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who are minorities in their country. These 6 communities are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians.
Indian citizenship will be provided to only those individuals who have been residing in India before 21st December 2014.
CAA New Rules?
On 11th March 2024, the Indin Government revised the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019. These new rules will help in the implementation of this much-awaited controversial law. According to the CAA’s new rules, individuals belonging to any of these 6 communities must have the following documents issued by their country of origin:
- Birth or Educational Institution Certificate.
- Identification Card (of any kind).
- Any license or certificate.
- Land or tenancy records or any other official documents where their name and age are mentioned.
These documents are necessary to prove that the individual was once a resident of that country. Moreover, it will provide a sense of belonging to their identity.
*The documents listed above are not required for children in the age group of 5 to 11 years. This act relaxed the resident requirement for the neutralization of these children.
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Is CAA Unconstitutional?
Since the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the opposition has been claiming it is unconstitutional. They argue that the CAA, along with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will benefit only non-Muslims.
Moreover, there has been mass protest in Assam, where protestors are claiming that this act contradicts the Assam Accord of 1985, which states that illegal migrants residing after 25th March 1971 from Bangladesh must be deported back.
Estimates claim that more than 2 crore illegal Bangladeshi migrants are currently living in Assam and are responsible for the depletion of natural resources and inflation in the state.
However, the CAA is not unconstitutional. The government has considered all the dimensions and has explained all the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act, which will provide Indian citizenship to people living in India illegally before 31st December 2014.
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Why is CAA Controversial?
CAA has become a controversial topic, and it is very important to understand all the dimensions of this newly enacted law.
- The government claims that the CAA will provide Indian citizenship to the 6 minorities of India’s neighbouring countries.
- The opposition groups have been claiming this act was discriminatory against the ‘Muslims’, the ‘Rohingya Hindus of Myanmar, and the ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’.
- Critics argue that the CAA violates Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the Right to Equality before the Law and the principle of Secularism, enlisted in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
What will be the Outcomes of the CAA?
The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 amended the Citizenship Act of 1955. This act will provide Indian citizenship to 6 religious communities; Hindus Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains, and Christians, who fled their countries before December 2014 due to fear of religious persecution.
The government has revised the rules of the CAA for its smooth implementation. CAA will benefit thousands of the above-mentioned 6 communities, who have been living in India illegally or whose visas or legal permits have expired.
FAQs
Ans: The Indian Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act on 11th December 2019 after long debates. CAA will provide Indian citizenship to the 6 minority communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who have been living illegally in India. These 6 communities are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Opposition, on the other hand, has claimed that the CAA is unconstitutional and will deprive the rights of citizenship.
Ans: The CAA will benefit thousands of Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis, who have been living in India illegally or on long-term visas (LTV).
– CAA is only applicable to people who entered India illegally before 31st December 2014.
– Individuals will any criminal records will not be eligible for Indian citizenship under the Foreigners Act, of 1946 and the Passport Act, of 1920.
Ans: CAA is not unconstitutional. The opposition political parties have claimed the CAA as unconstitutional because this act does not include the Muslims, Hindu Rohingyas and Sri Lankan Tamils.
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