What is Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Provisions of the Bill

• The Bill seeks to allow illegal migrants from certain minority communities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for Citizenship.
• It amends the citizenship Act of 1955.
• It also make some changes in provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946, The passport (entry into India) Act, 1920 , and  The passport (entry into India) Rules , 1950.
• The bill seeks to allow illegal migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian religious  communities coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan to not be imprisoned or deported.
• It also appeals for the minimum years of residency in India to apply for citizenship to be lessened from at least 11 to six years for such migrants.

                                                                                                 (Courtsey – RSTV)

Who are considered illegal migrants ?

• Under the Citizenship Act of 1955,  Foreigners  who  come  into  India  without  valid travel documents, or
• Stay in the country beyond their visa period, are considered illegal migrants.

Issues with this bill

• The Bill makes illegal migrants eligible for citizenship on the basis of religion. This violate Article 14 of the Constitution which guarantees right to equality.
•  The  Citizenship  (Amendment)  Bill  also  fails  on the  tenets  of  international  refugee  law.  Although India  is  not  a  signatory  to  the 1951  UN  Refugee Convention, granting refuge based on humanitarian considerations  is  arguably  a  norm  of  customary  international law.
• The bill codifies minority religious group  as “migrants” and not as “refugees” .
• this is contradict given the nature of bill as migrants are people who move voluntarily for better economic prospective whereas refuge is an involuntary act of forced movement. The concerns of refugees are human rights and safety, not economic advantage.
• It does not talk about other minority communities at risk in these 3 countries like Jews, Bahais etc.
• The External Affairs Ministry has cautioned the Home Ministry  that  the  move  could  hurt  India’s  relations with its neighbors.
• It  would  threaten  the  existence  of  the  indigenous people of Assam.
• The Citizenship Amendment Bill has not been sitting well with the Assamese as it contradicts the Assam Accord  of  1985,  which  clearly  states  that  illegal migrants heading in from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971, would be deported