10 Important Points that Everyone Must Know in Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 Amaresh Patel BASICS OF LAW Fri, Dec 13, 2019, at ,06:05 AM The citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is all set to execution. There are good and bad of every things, and the bill is no exception to it. Here are some key highlight of the bill and key points to pen down. Objective of the Bill The bill proposes to accord citizenship to illegal Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jains, Parsis and Christian migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan which also means that migrants who does not fall in abovementioned category such as Muslim and are from these countries won’t be eligible for citizenship. The bill also relaxes the provisions for “Citizenship by naturalization”. The proposed law reduces duration of residency from existing 11 years to merely 5 years for the migrants belonging to abovementioned category. Which States will be affected the Most The bill the major impact on all the 7 North Eastern states. However, the bill says, “Nothing in this section shall apply to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution and the area covered under the ‘Inner Line Permit” notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.”Currently, Manipur is not under Inner Line Permit, however, Home Minister Amit Shah has announced on 2nd Dec 2019 that Manipur will be brought under Inner Limit Permit. 10 Important Key Points The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 (CAB) will be granted citizenship of India to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, and Buddhist people who have fled from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to the religious persecution. Such illegal migrants who have entered India by 31 December 2014 will be able to apply for Indian citizenship. Right now, it is compulsory to reside in India for 11 years to get Indian citizenship. The new bill reduces the residency limit to six years. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 covers 6 communities – Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian migrants. It has also been arranged that any legal action already taken against such people for displacement or illegal migration will not affect his eligibility for permanent citizenship. If the OCI cardholders violate the conditions, the centre will have the right to cancel their card. This bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in 2016. It was passed in Lok Sabha this year but stuck in the Rajya Sabha. The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. It has been decided to give citizenship to people of other religions except Muslims in the new bill. The Opposition is taking up this matter and saying it a biased bill. The Ministry of Home Affairs has empowered the concerned authorities in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi to provide citizenship and natural certificates to migrants under sections 5 and 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955.