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Is India's Citizenship Amendment Act Eroding the Nation's Secular Fabric?

Amidst Rising Tensions and Protests, Questions Arise Over the Citizenship Amendment Act's Impact on India's Secular Ethos and Constitutional Values

By Varghese George
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Citizenship Amendment Act

Citizenship Amendment Act | Representative Image | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement

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The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has, in recent years, emerged as a lightning rod for debates and discussions, piercing through the very heart of India's collective conscience. At the crux of these discussions lies a critical concern: the potential impact of the CAA on India's secular ethos. The Act has simmered in the national discourse since its parliamentary approval in 2019, only to have its flames rekindled by the Union Home Ministry's recent announcement on March 11, notifying the implementation of Citizenship Amendment rules enabling the controversial implementation of the CAA. This also serves as a critical juncture for the country to introspect on its foundational values and the path forward in safeguarding them amidst what many perceive as an assault on the very secular fabric of the nation.

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The Citizenship Amendment Act delineates a path to grant Indian citizenship to six religious communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians, and Parsis—originating from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It extends citizenship to both legal and illegal immigrants from these groups who came to India before December 31, 2014. Under the CAA, those who have stayed in the country for a minimum of five years are eligible for citizenship without having a valid passport of these countries or a valid Indian visa. The mode of application will be online, for which a web portal has been created.

The CAA announcement has sparked a huge controversy and debate, primarily due to its exclusion of Muslims from the list of religious minorities from neig

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