New Delhi: The Indian government has issued citizenship certificates to 14 applicants under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, marking a significant development more than two years after the rules were notified. The certificates were handed over to the applicants in New Delhi on Wednesday by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
During the ceremony, the Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted the key features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. The event was attended by senior officials including the Secretary Posts, Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and the Registrar General of India.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which were notified on March 11, outline the application process and the procedures for processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC) and the grant of citizenship by the State Level Empowered Committee (EC).
Applications were received from individuals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who entered India up to December 31, 2014, due to persecution on religious grounds.
The District Level Committees, chaired by Senior Superintendents of Post/Superintendents of Post as designated officers, administered the oath of allegiance to the applicants after successful verification of documents. Subsequently, the applications were forwarded to the State Level Empowered Committee, headed by the Director of Census Operation, for further processing.
After thorough scrutiny, the Empowered Committee in Delhi decided to grant citizenship to the 14 applicants. The certificates were then issued to the applicants by the Director of Census Operation.
The entire processing of applications, from verification to granting of citizenship, was conducted through the online portal in accordance with the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
