Parliament passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 today.
The Bill has been passed with a majority of 125.
On 10-12-2019, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by Lok Sabha with a majority of 311 in favour of the Bill.
Following are provisions to be amended as placed in the Bill:
- Amendment of Section 2:
In the Citizenship Act, 1955 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), in section 2, in sub-section (1), in clause (b), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:—
“Provided that any person belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, who entered into India on or before the 31st day of December, 2014 and who has been exempted by the
Central Government by or under clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 or from the application of the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 or any rule or order made thereunder, shall not be treated as illegal migrant for the purposes of this Act.”
- Insertion of new Section 6B
Special provisions as to the citizenship of person covered by the proviso to clause (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 2.
- Amendment of Section 7D
In section 7D of the principal Act,—
(i) after clause (d), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:—
“(da) the Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder has violated any of the provisions of this Act or provisions of any other law for time being in force as may be specified by the Central Government in the notification published in the Official Gazette; or”.
(ii) after clause (f), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:—
“Provided that no order under this section shall be passed unless the Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder has been given a reasonable opportunity of being heard.”
- Amendment of Section 18
In section 18 of the principal Act, in sub-section (2), after clause (ee), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:—
“(eei) the conditions, restrictions and manner for granting certificate of registration or certificate of naturalisation under sub-section (1) of section 6B;”
- Amendment of Third Schedule
In the Third Schedule to the principal Act, in clause (d), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:—
‘Provided that for the person belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, the aggregate period of residence or service of Government in India as required under this clause shall be read as “not less than five years” in place of “not less than eleven years”.
*Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by Lok Sabha
Discussion in Rajya Sabha has begun: [LIVE UPDATES]
- Amit Shah: There has been an almost 20% decline each in the population of religious minorities in both Pakistan and present-day Bangladesh. Either they were killed or they fled to India for shelter [ANI]
- Shah says, CAB was in their manifesto and it is their duty to bring it in the House for discussion.
- No Muslim in India needs to worry due to this Bill. Don’t get scared if someone tries to scare you. — Home Minister
- Anand Sharma speaks on the Bill in opposition
- Sharma: It fails the morality test, it is divisive and discriminatory
- The bill that you have brought is an assault on the very foundation of the Indian constitution, it is an assault on the Republic of India. It hurts the soul of India, Says Sharma [ANI]
- JP Nadda speaking in favour of Citizenship Bill
- This Bill is in national interest: Nadda
- Derek O Brien: I read that PM said this will be written in golden letters. I will tell you where it will be written, it will be written on the grave of the father of the nation, but which father of the nation? In Karachi, on Jinnah’s grave [ANI]
- RCP Singh, JDU in Rajya Sabha: We support this bill. The bill is very clear, it gives citizenship to persecuted minorities from three of our neigbouring countries, but here debate is being done on our Indian Muslim brothers.[ANI]
- P. Chidambaram speaks on the Bill.
- Chidambaram: Ultimately the non-elected people i.e. the lawyers, judges will be deciding on the Bill and it is a question on the Parliament.
- Chidambaram: This government is ramming through this Bill to advance its Hindutva agenda. This is a sad day. I am absolutely clear that this law will be struck off. [ANI]
- Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena speaks on the Bill. “We don’t need to prove our nationalism”
- Satish Chandra Mishra of BSP Speaks in opposition to the Bill.
- Praful Patel of NCP is now speaking.
- Bill is being passed in a hurry -Praful Patel
- Kapil Sibal speaks on the Bill.
- Sibal: I request you Home Minister “rise above the politics!”
- Sibal: They are targeting a community without naming it
- This Bill is not tenable-Sibal
- Those who have no idea of India cannot protect the idea of India -Kapil Sibal
- Sanjay Singh of AAP Party opposes the Bill.
- D Kupendra Reddy, JD(S): This Bill will be dilution of our secularism policy in this country. I strongly oppose this Bill. I recommend that the Bill be sent to a select committee of Parliament for scrutiny.[ANI]
- Home Minister: Neither CAB is anti-Muslim, nor abrogation of Article 370 is anti-Muslim, Triple Talaq Bill is not anti-Muslim either. Triple Talaq is the Bill to give rights to crores of Muslim women in the country. [ANI]
- CAB won’t hurt the citizenship of the Muslims.
- CAB won’t be referred to Select Committee