Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019: A Study of Legal and Constitutional Implications

Immigration Law By 2

1. CAA 2019 gives Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered before 31 Dec 2014.

2. It excludes Muslims, raising allegations of religious discrimination.

3. Faces strong opposition in the Northeast (violates Assam Accord) and from groups citing Article 14 (equality).

4. Over 200 petitions are pending before the Supreme Court challenging its validity.

5. The government defends it as a limited, humanitarian law to protect persecuted minorities without affecting Indian citizens.