Citizenship Amendment Act Eligibility: Local Priests Could Issue Certificates, Informs Govt Helpline

The CAA act may allow local priests to issue “eligibility certificates" to validate applicants' religion, as per a response obtained through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ CAA helpline. The certificate, a mandatory document, is to be enclosed along with an affidavit and other documents that the applicants are to upload on the CAA portal. “The reasons for which applicant wishes to acquire Indian citizenship" must also be stated.

The act allows the members of six minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship faster. While notifying the rules, the government said the act aims to ensure proper resettlement of these persecuted minorities, who have faced years of oppression. According to a report in Hindu, the ministry initiated the helpline number 1032 on March 21 to provide assistance and information regarding the CAA, enabling applicants to make toll-free calls from any location in India between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Individuals who migrated to India before December 31, 2014, from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh due to “religious persecution" and belong to six religious minorities- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian are eligible to get citizenship under the CAA Act.According to the report, The Hindu contacted the helpline on March 26 to inquire about the format of the eligibility certificate, the person on the call responded, “It can be on a blank sheet of paper or on a judicial paper with a stamp value of ₹10."Regarding who can issue the certificate, it was informed that “any local pujari (priest) can be asked to issue it."

Furthermore, the regulations outline two supplementary documents in addition to those stated in Section 6B of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules. Firstly, applicants are required to submit an affidavit affirming the accuracy of the information provided in their application, along with a separate affidavit from an Indian citizen endorsing the applicant's character.Secondly, applicants must furnish a declaration confirming their proficiency in one of the languages specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. These additional requirements aim to ensure thorough verification and adherence to the eligibility criteria set forth in the CAA regulations.