{
  "id": 2083861,
  "title": "District collectors in eight States, UTs empowered to grant citizenship under CAA; central panels phased out",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/district-collectors-in-eight-states-uts-empowered-to-grant",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T06:06:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/district-collectors-in-eight-states-uts-empowered-to-grant-citizenship-under-caa-bjp-bengal-win/article71367931.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has shifted the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) from Empowered Committees to district Collectors in eight States and Union Territories. The eight jurisdictions include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (excluding tribal areas), Tripura (excluding tribal areas), Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. This transfer of authority comes from the August 19 order, effectively rendering the previous multi-agency committee structure redundant.\n\nThe amendments to the CAA Rules, implemented on March 11, 2024, were brought about after the BJP's victory in West Bengal ahead of the 2024 general elections. These amendments notably concentrated the power to process citizenship applications for members of six non-Muslim communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India before December 31, 2014 without any documents or illegally.\n\nThe CAA faced strong opposition from the then Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. To circumvent the State government's role in processing applications, the MHA constituted Empowered Committees at the district level, headed by Central government officials, days before the April 2024 Assembly polls in West Bengal. These committees were primarily aimed at clearing citizenship applications for the Matua community, a Hindu Namasudra population with roots in Bangladesh, which is an important electoral block in the region.\n\nAlthough the Citizenship Amendment Act was enacted for undocumented migrants, the Rules stipulated numerous documents that applicants were required to provide, such as a certificate from a government authority in Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh. Consequently, many Matuas were unable to find their names in the voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.\n\nCitizenship is a subject under the Union List of the Indian Constitution, and the State's role in the process might have involved providing logistics like office space and conducting police verification of applicants. The MHA's order issued on August 19 stipulates that all pending applications under the Empowered Committees and District Level Committees in the aforementioned eight jurisdictions will be transferred to the concerned District Collectors. Moreover, two subsequent MHA orders from February and March 2026 have been rescinded, while any actions taken under these orders are protected. The Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified on the same day, empower Collectors in these jurisdictions to receive, scrutinize, and dispose of applications for registration or naturalization under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act. Under these amended rules, Collectors are tasked with verifying documents submitted by applicants, conducting necessary inquiries, administering the Oath of Allegiance, and determining the eligibility of applicants for Indian citizenship. An application can be rejected if the applicant fails to appear in person to subscribe to the application and take the oath despite being granted reasonable opportunities.",
  "summary": "The MHA order is significant as the amendments to the CAA Rules, which first came into effect on March 11, 2024, have been notified after the BJP came to power in West Bengal this year",
  "key_points": [
    "District collectors in eight States and UTs now grant citizenship under CAA.",
    "Central panels phased out, authority transferred to district Collectors.",
    "Amendments enacted post BJP's West Bengal election victory in 2024."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The transfer of authority to district collectors in eight states and UTs marks a shift in the Centre-State dynamic, allowing the Centre to directly process citizenship applications under the CAA.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}