Supreme Court review: Ensuring voter rights for CAA-eligible migrants
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the West Bengal government on a plea seeking provisional Special Interim Revision (SIR) for Hindus, Buddhists and Christians who migrated to the state from Bangladesh before 2014.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the petition filed by NGO Atmadeep and sought responses from the concerned authorities. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on December 9.
The petition argues that despite applying for Indian citizenship before 2014, many migrants who fled Bangladesh due to religious persecution have seen no progress on their applications.
Under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), persecuted minorities, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before 31 December 2014, are eligible for citizenship, provided they were exempted under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 or the Foreigners Act, 1946.
The 2019 amendment introduced a provision enabling these communities to apply for registration or naturalisation as Indian citizens.
However, the petition claims that several naturalisation applications from eligible migrants remain pending due to administrative delays. It also highlights that many others are yet to apply for citizenship under Section 6B using the online system introduced through the Citizenship (Amendment Rules), 2024.
According to the NGO, a substantial number of such migrants have been residing in India for years and already appear on the 2025 electoral rolls. It argues that, to ensure they are not disenfranchised during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, they should be permitted provisional voter enrolment.
The plea urges the Supreme Court to issue directions protecting these applicants until the citizenship process is completed.
IANS