West Bengal CM Adhikari hails Centre's CAA move empowering District Collectors, says Hindu refugees will get citizenship certificates immediately

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday welcomed the Union Home Ministry's decision to empower District Collectors in specific states to directly process applications and grant citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying the move would enable Hindu refugees to receive their certificates immediately.

Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has welcomed the Union Home Ministry's decision to empower District Collectors in specific states to directly process applications and grant citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying the move would enable Hindu refugees to receive their certificates immediately. Reacting to the Centre's decision, Adhikari said the Centre's decision would allow Hindu refugees to receive citizenship certificates immediately, after which their names would be added to the voter list.

He said, "This is very good news for us. The Central Govt has allocated the power to us. Our Hindu refugees will receive their certificates immediately. Once they have the certificates, their names will be added to the voter list. They will get everything just as any other citizen of India does. It was our duty and our commitment. Amit Shah made a commitment to me during the elections. He is a man of his word. The rest of the work is mine." Adhikari also spoke about the implementation of the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Act, saying the legislation had two components and that the state government had completed the process required for implementing one of them.

He said the provision relating to 12-month preventive detention is awaiting the President's assent, while rules concerning the other component have been issued by the state government and enforcement proceedings have begun. "It had two parts. One part, concerning the 12-month preventive detention provision, is awaiting the President's assent; it is under process. The other part required an amendment by our State Government, and we have issued the rules for that today. It is now being implemented on the ground. Law enforcement authorities have initiated proceedings. Wherever vandalism occurs, we will recover three times the cost of damages, with interest. We know exactly how to make the recovery; the law is clear on this," he said.

Meanwhile, on August 20, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an order specifying that a 2024 government order issued under the Citizenship Act, 1955, will not apply to certain states and Union Territories, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The MHA order, issued on August 19, was issued under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955, read with Rule 11A of the Citizenship Rules, 2009.

As per the fresh order, the Central Government's earlier order published by the MHA in the Gazette of India on March 11, 2024, will not apply to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (except tribal areas), Tripura (except tribal areas) and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In another key provision, the MHA has directed that all applications pending under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act before the Empowered Committee and District Level Committee in the states and Union Territories covered by the order will be transferred to the concerned Collector.

The provision covers pending applications in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The order came into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette on August 19. Section 6B of the Citizenship Act relates to the grant of citizenship to eligible persons belonging to specified communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who meet the conditions prescribed under the law.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 inserted Section 6B into the Citizenship Act, while the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 were notified subsequently to operationalise the amended provisions. (ANI)