New CAA Rules: Why District Collectors Will Now Decide Citizenship In Six States

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs notified the Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026. This move accelerates pending applications by sidestepping the previous central government-led Empowered Committees.

The updated framework authorises District Collectors, functioning as District Magistrates, to independently approve or deny Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act. They are now directly empowered to resolve these pending cases without central intervention, as News18 reported.

Decentralising Approval Process

The process is now local. Under Section 6B of the 1955 Citizenship Act, the District Collector now acts as the exclusive official empowered to accept, review and finalise these requests.

Previously, applicants submitted files online to a District Level Committee. These cases were subsequently forwarded to a central Empowered Committee for final evaluation. The revised system eliminates this multi-layered bureaucracy.

Collectors will directly administer the mandatory Oath of Allegiance. Should an individual miss multiple chances to present themselves for the oath, the magistrate will deny their petition.

This decentralised framework benefits eligible undocumented non-Muslim migrants escaping religious persecution- specifically Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan arriving in India by December 31, 2014. Applicants can track their status via the Indian Citizenship Online Portal.

States, Regions Covered

Exemptions apply to specific areas. The revised mechanism covers six states, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. It also operates in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Tribal zones within Assam and Tripura remain strictly excluded from these new rules.

Territories governed by the Inner Line Permit system also stay exempt. These include Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur. Sixth Schedule tribal tracts, encompassing Meghalaya, also retain their exemption status under the broader statutory framework.

CAA

The law faced widespread opposition. Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 to expedite naturalisation for undocumented non-Muslim migrants. The government officially began enforcing its associated rules in March 2024.

The legislation triggered extensive nationwide protests. Critics argued that excluding Muslims from this accelerated path violates the secular foundations of the Indian Constitution.

Conversely, supporters and the government maintain the legislation acts as a humanitarian shield. They stated it protects vulnerable minorities fleeing neighbouring Islamic republics. Officials clarified that the law does not strip existing Indian citizens of their rights.