Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the Centre has sought an extension till January 9, 2022, for framing rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
This is the fifth time the Union government has sought an extension for framing of the rules. CAA came into effect on January 10, 2020. According to the Manual on Parliamentary Work, the rules for any legislation should be framed within six months of presidential assent or the government has an option to seek extension.
"The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was notified on 12.12.2019 and came into force w.e.f. 10.01.2020. The Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been requested to grant further extension of time up to 09.01.2022 to frame the rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019," Rai said today, while replying to a question from Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on whether the government had missed the deadline to frame and notify CAA rules.
While the Centre has claimed that the CAA will be instrumental in granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, many in India have opposed the law claiming that it is biased against Muslims.
According to the Centre, the objective of the CAA is to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Those from these communities who had come to India till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
After the CAA was passed by Parliament, widespread protests were witnessed in different parts of the country leading to deaths of nearly 100 people in police firing and related violence.
(With PTI inputs)
