Citizenship Amendment Bill, how many questions
Under the current law, people who enter illegally in India cannot get citizenship.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Through this, non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given citizenship. READ MORE
Due to the ongoing protests in the Northeast, this bill was amended. The Union Government has completely excluded Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and parts of Assam and Tripura from this Bill. The government of Manipur has announced special provisions.
This bill proposes granting Indian citizenship to people belonging to the six minority communities of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, Christian and Sikh). READ MORE
Under the current law, it is mandatory for any person to stay in India for at least 11 years to take Indian citizenship. In this bill, this period has been reduced from 11 to six years for the minorities of neighbouring countries.
For this, some amendments will be made in the Citizenship Act, 1955, so that they can be given legal help to give citizenship to the people.
Under the current law, people entering India illegally cannot get citizenship and there is a provision to send them back to their country or be detained.
The Citizenship Act, 1955 is a detailed law relating to Indian citizenship.
It explains how a person can be given Indian citizenship and what are the necessary conditions of being an Indian citizen? The Citizenship Act has been amended five times (1986, 1992, 2003, 2005 and 2015) until now. Indian citizenship can end on three grounds — if one voluntarily renounces Indian citizenship if one accepts citizenship of another country if the government takes away citizenship.
According to the Citizenship Act, 1955, illegal migrants cannot get citizenship of India.
Illegal migrants can either be kept in jail or sent back to their country under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passports (Entry into India) Act, 1920. But by amending the above laws of 1946 and 1920 in the years 2015 and 2016, the Central Government has exempted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
This exemption is available to those of the above religious group who have reached India on or before 31 December 2014.
People have migrated here on religious grounds from the three neighbouring countries of India — Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Pakistan newspaper Dawn has published figures of Pakistan a government that about five thousand Hindu families flee to India every year.
Generally, these refugees take refuge in Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. In the year 2018, the Indian government granted citizenship to 12,732 Muslims and Sikhs from Pakistan, Afghanistan.
Earlier in 2017, 4712 were granted asylum. In 2016, 2298 Hindu and Sikh refugees received asylum. According to a central government report, 83,438 Bangladeshi nationals are living as refugees in India.
Apart from these, more than one lakh Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are living in India. It is widely believed that around two lakh Hindu and Sikh refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan are living in India.
The current central government took several steps in May last year, including issuing long term visas (LTVs) for these refugees.
The provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Bill states that the provisions of this article shall not apply in the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura.
The provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and ‘The InterLine Permit’ (ILP) are applicable in these areas. These provisions were notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873. ILP system implemented in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Dimapur town of Nagaland is not in ILP. People from other states will need special permits to visit areas under the ILP.
The citizenship amendment bill passed in the Lok Sabha on 9 December. It had 311 votes in favour, while 80 votes were cast in protest.
During this time, AIMIM MP from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi got into the Lok Sabha and tore a copy of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
He accused the central government of hating Muslims. Also, said that the Modi government is discriminating against a particular community and is trying to make them homeless.
He said that the constitution is being violated by this bill. Especially in Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality. At the same time, AIUDF MP from Dhubri, Assam, Badruddin Ajmal called the proposed law a ‘divide and rule’ bill, which is against the Assam Accord of 1985.
In his speech, Owaisi said, “When the Constitution was being written, the beginning of writing documents in the name of God was rejected.
Now a bill discriminating on the basis of religion has been brought here.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) needs to be seen through the NRC prism. 19 lakh people are out of NRC in Assam.
There are 5.40 lakh Bengali Hindus among them. After the Citizenship Amendment Bill comes, the proceedings against them will end and it will continue against the Muslims.
This is a violation of article 14. The government is plotting to render the Muslims homeless. Why this hatred and discrimination? “
Opposing the bill, PK Kunhalikutty, a member of the Indian Union Muslim League, said, “Today you are dividing the country in the name of religion.
Tomorrow we will distribute it in the name of a language and all this is happening in the name of Patel. This is the communal agenda, which is against the constitution. I am sure this bill will not survive in the Supreme Court. “
Originally published at https://www.mubahisa.in.