Why in news?

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the cut-off date for entry under the CAA to December 31, 2024, from the original December 31, 2014 cutoff.
• This new exemption order, issued under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025,
• It provides relief mostly targeting communities such as the Matua community in Bengal, addressing their long-standing demand for citizenship recognition

Key facts about CAA

• Passed on December 11, 2019, amended the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• Accelerated citizenship pathway for non-Muslim refugees (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, Christian) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan who arrived by 2014.
• Reduced naturalization residency requirement from 12 to 6 years for these groups.
• Excludes Muslims and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.
• Does not apply in certain northeastern tribal and inner line permit areas.
• Implementation began in 2024 with guidelines for documentation and language proficiency.
• Criticized for religious discrimination and inconsistency with India’s constitutional and international human rights obligations.

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