A few weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, is scheduled to go into effect, according to a notification released by the government on Monday night.

The CAA makes religion the first litmus test for Indian citizenship and has raised concerns that it could be used to target religious minorities.
After over 100 people died in nationwide violent protests, the CAA faced strong opposition from activists and opposition politicians and was approved by Parliament in December 2019.

The central government can now grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, including those from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

According to a Home Ministry representative, qualified candidates could apply “in a completely online mode.” One official stated that no additional paperwork will be required from the applicants.
One of the main campaign promises made by the BJP prior to the 2019 election was the implementation of the CAA.

And less than a month after Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the CAA was “an act of the country” and that it would undoubtedly be notified, this notification has been made. The CAA will take effect prior to the election.

The Home Minister, who spearheaded the government’s push for this issue in both chambers of Congress, downplayed concerns that Muslims would be singled out by the CAA and the National Register of Citizens.