New Delhi, January 10: Amid ongoing protests, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has come into effect from Friday. In the notification published in the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said, “Central Government appoints the 10th day of January, 2020, as the date on which the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act shall come into force.” Citizenship Act 1955 - Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 Full Text: Know Two Laws About Indian Citizenship.

The contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 10, and the very next day, the Rajya Sabha cleared the bill. On December 12, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the act. It was then notified on the Gazette. CJI SA Bobde on Anti-CAA Protests: 'India is Going Through a Difficult Phase, So Refrain from Further Aggravating the Situation'.

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Protests erupted across the nation against the CAA as many see the act through the prism of the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) drive. The act seeks to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities including Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but not if they happen to be Muslims. Under this act, non-Muslim immigrants can get the Indian citizenship after five years. Anti-CAA Protests: Delhi Court Grants Bail to 15 Accused in Daryaganj Violence Case.

The anti-CAA protests erupted across Delhi and other parts of North India in mid-December following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 in Parliament. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 19 people were reported killed in Anti-CAA protest as the demonstrations turned violent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 10, 2020 10:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).