Local priests may provide "eligibility certificates" under the CAA law to confirm the religious beliefs of applicants.......
Digital desk: The CAA Act may permit local priests to grant "eligibility certificates" to verify applicants' religious beliefs. 'The Hindu' reported that based on data received from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs CAA helpline on Thursday.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 regulations were announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government less than a month before the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
Local priests may provide "eligibility certificates" under the CAA law to confirm the religious beliefs of applicants. According to information obtained on Thursday from the CAA hotline of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, The Hindu reported.
To offer support and information on the CAA, the Ministry launched the helpline number 1032 on March 21. This number allows applicants to make toll-free calls from any location in India between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
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 a judicial paper with a stamp value of Rs.10."
It was informed that "any local pujari (priest) can be asked to issue it" in regards to who can issue the certificate. When the rules were notified, the Ministry did not specify the authority or the body that could issue the certificate.
In the meantime The Hindu, citing an unnamed source reported, "Any institution which has the trust of people can issue the certificate. The final decision to grant citizenship will be taken by the empowered committee, the local institution is only recommending that they belong to a particular faith."
The Citizenship Act (CAA Act) grants citizenship to those who, as members of one of the following six religious minorities—Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian—moved to India before December 31, 2014, from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh as a result of "religious persecution."
In addition, the regulations specify two more documents beyond the ones mentioned in Section 6B of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) regulations. First, candidates must present an affidavit confirming the accuracy of the data they submitted in their application and a separate statement from an Indian resident recommending them.
Second, candidates need to provide a statement confirming their fluency in one of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The purpose of these extra measures is to guarantee careful verification and compliance with the eligibility standards outlined in the CAA regulations.
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