New Delhi: Amid ongoing protests and public anger, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act came into force in the country on January 10, as announced by the Centre.
The Union Home Ministry, in a gazette notification, stated, "the act under which non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian Citizenship, will come into force from January 10."
The gazette notification stated, "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of the section 1 of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (47 of 2019). the Central government hereby appoints the 10th day of January, 2020, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force."
Meanwhile, there have been widespread protests against the act in different parts of the country. Opposing the act, the protestors have claimed that it will grant citizenship on the basis of religion, thus, violating the democratization of the nation.
The government, however, has been claiming that the newly amended act will not take away anyone's rights and it is necessary to provide such an arrangement for the refugees as they have no other option left but to come to India when they face religious persecution in their own country.
The CAA, passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019, states that members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhhist, Jain, Parsian and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who faced religious persecution in their own nation and have to come to India till December 31, 2014, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
The government, however, is yet to frame the rules for the act.