The Assam government on the first day of the budget session informed the Assembly that 70 migrants living in the state had applied for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), with six of them receiving citizenship so far.
In another written reply, the Assam government stated that 1,72,673 foreigners had been detected in the state to date, while 31,786 had been deported.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, passed by Parliament in 2019, came into force in March 2024 after the Union government notified the rules. The legislation provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2014.
The implementation of the CAA has remained a deeply contentious issue in Assam, where widespread protests erupted both before and after the law was enacted. Several people lost their lives during the agitation.
The state government further informed the Assembly that, under the 1950 Act, 1,572 illegal migrants had been pushed back to Bangladesh since 2 May last year. Of these, 866 were from Sribhumi district and 357 from Cachar district. It also stated that 68 illegal migrants apprehended by the Railway Police were among those sent back.
On July 03, Gauhati High Court in a judgement upheld a foreigner tag for an assam labourer despite 15 citizenship documents. The labourer has lost his challenge against a tribunal order declaring him a foreigner after the Gauhati High Court ruled that the 15 documents he submitted, including a copy of the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC), a 1973 land purchase deed and a school certificate, were insufficient to establish his claim to Indian citizenship.
The Recent Buzz and Proof of Citizenship in India
A recent statement issued on Passport Seva Divas by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the legal status of Indian passports has triggered public anxiety and confusion across the country. The ministry clarified that a passport is essentially a travel document rather than a definitive proof of citizenship.
India does not issue a single universal citizenship document to all citizens, and citizenship may be established through different statutory provisions and supporting records depending on the circumstances of a particular case.
Depending on the circumstances, authorities may rely on birth certificates, citizenship certificates issued under the Citizenship Act, electoral records, family documents, domicile records and other government-issued documents.
Courts have repeatedly held that documents such as Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards may establish identity, residence or eligibility for specific services, but they are not by themselves conclusive proof of citizenship.
