The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, and make illegal migrants, who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians and have entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, eligible for Indian citizenship. The amendment was apparently motivated by reports that a number of Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to these minority communities were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or the fear of it.
The Citizenship Act, 1955, bars illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship. An illegal migrant is a foreigner who enters the country without valid travel documents, such as passport and visa, or enters with valid documents but overstays beyond the permitted time period. Illegal migrants may be imprisoned or deported under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the…