Citizenship Amendment Act comes into force

The provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act have come into force from Friday, according to a gazette notification.

The government notified January 10, 2020, as the date on which the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act have come into force.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of the section 1 of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (47 of 2019), the Central Government hereby appoints the 10th day of January, 2020, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force," the notification said.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by parliament last month. The Act grants Indian citizenship to those refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before 31, 2014.