Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 becomes law as President gives assent

India / Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 becomes law as President gives assent
India - Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 becomes law as President gives assent
New Delhi, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday gave his nod to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, turning it into an Act. The Act comes into effect with its publication in the official gazette on Thursday, according to a government notification.

In keeping with the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and have faced religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and by Lok Sabha on Monday.

Refugees of the six communities will be given Indian citizenship after residing in India for five years as opposed to the earlier requirement of 11 years, the Act states.

The new law which was signed by the President late on Thursday night also proposes to give immunity to refugees facing legal cases after being found as illegal migrants.

According to the new law, it will not be applicable to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and in the areas covered under the Inner Line Permit, notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

The ILP regime is applicable in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.

A large section of people in the Northeastern states, especially in Assam and Tripura, have opposed the Act, saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.

Massive protests against the legislation have been witnessed since Monday in the Northeastern states. Two people were killed on Thursday in police firing in Assam with thousands taking to the streets defying curfew.

After the passage of the bill in both houses of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that the BJP government was committed to safeguarding the rights of the people in the North East.

A few cities including Guwahati, the epicentre of protests, Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Dhekiajuli and Shillong were placed under indefinite curfew on Thursday. Night curfew was imposed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts, officials said.

Disclaimer

अपनी वेबसाइट पर हम डाटा संग्रह टूल्स, जैसे की कुकीज के माध्यम से आपकी जानकारी एकत्र करते हैं ताकि आपको बेहतर अनुभव प्रदान कर सकें, वेबसाइट के ट्रैफिक का विश्लेषण कर सकें, कॉन्टेंट व्यक्तिगत तरीके से पेश कर सकें और हमारे पार्टनर्स, जैसे की Google, और सोशल मीडिया साइट्स, जैसे की Facebook, के साथ लक्षित विज्ञापन पेश करने के लिए उपयोग कर सकें। साथ ही, अगर आप साइन-अप करते हैं, तो हम आपका ईमेल पता, फोन नंबर और अन्य विवरण पूरी तरह सुरक्षित तरीके से स्टोर करते हैं। आप कुकीज नीति पृष्ठ से अपनी कुकीज हटा सकते है और रजिस्टर्ड यूजर अपने प्रोफाइल पेज से अपना व्यक्तिगत डाटा हटा या एक्सपोर्ट कर सकते हैं। हमारी Cookies Policy, Privacy Policy और Terms & Conditions के बारे में पढ़ें और अपनी सहमति देने के लिए Agree पर क्लिक करें।