Home Ministry seeks 3-month extension to frame Citizenship Amendment Act rules

The Union Home Ministry has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee that it requires three more months to frame the rules for the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).  

A senior official has said that the issue has been raised with the Standing Committee in its recent meeting. However, it is not known whether the ministry got permission for the extension, a news agency reported on Sunday.

The additional time was requested to frame the rules because the Union Ministry was busy tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdown necessitated by the deadly virus put a dent on the progress in that particular work.

The CAA rules will be framed very soon, however, specific time was not been mentioned in the meeting, the committee was informed, the official said.

It is to be noted that rules of legislation should be framed within six months of the date of the President`s assent or the standing committee on subordinate legislation should be approached for extension of time as per manual on parliamentary work.

The parliament had passed the amendment to the Citizenship Act, in December 2019, and it was notified in January 2020 by the Narendra Modi-led government. 
  
Severe protests have erupted in various parts of the country ever since the central government passed the contentious act, which grants Indian citizenship to refugees belonging to the Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, and Jain communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

Several civil society members and activists have stated that the act discriminates against Muslims, a claim which has been refuted by the Centre, which puts that the act will grant long-deserved citizenship to refugees who have faced religious persecution in these neighbouring countries.