Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 has been approved by the union cabinet on December 04, 2019. According to media reports, it is likely to be presented in the House next week. There are some provisions that are creating a stir among opposition parties and calling it an anti-minority bill.
Central Government has given it a top priority while the opposition parties are taking a very strong stand on this bill and calling it contrary to the spirit of the Constitution. All opposition parties have given a clear indication that it will not be easy for the government to pass the bill in Parliament.
| What is Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019? |
| • The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill-2019 will provide Indian citizenship to the six minority communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. These six communities are - Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, Christian and Sikhs. |
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Why opposition parties disagree?
The biggest concern of the opposition parties is that it specifically targeted the Muslim community. Opposition parties said that this is a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which speaks of the right to equality.
Who are illegal migrants?
According to the Citizenship Act, 1955, illegal migrants cannot get citizenship of India. The people, who have entered India without valid travel documents like passports and visas or have come to India with valid documents but stay here longer than the period mentioned therein, are considered as illegal migrants under this law.
What are the provisions for illegal migrants?
According to the Citizenship Act, 1955, 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 in 2015 and 2016, the central government has made some amendments in the laws of 1920 and 1946. It exempted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to stay in India. It means that if people belonging to these communities live in India without valid documents, then they can neither be imprisoned nor deported. This exemption has given to those religious groups who have reached India on or before 31 December 2014.
Background
The bill was first time introduced in the Lok Sabha on 19 July 2016 and was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 12 August 2016. The committee submitted its report on 7 January 2019. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on the next day i.e. January 8, 2019, but the bill was not introduced in the Rajya Sabha at that time. As per the parliamentary procedure, if a bill gets a nod from Lok Sabha but couldn’t pass in Rajya Sabha then it will be re-introduced in both the houses.
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