Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Notified: A Timeline Of Key Events

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was officially implemented nationwide on Monday, marking the culmination of a process that began more than four years ago when Parliament passed the legislation in December 2019.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed in Parliament on December 11, 2019, and two days later, it was approved by then President Ram Nath Kovind, becoming the CAA. This move sparked nationwide protests, including in Delhi.

The timeline of events surrounding the CAA is as follows:

• December 15, 2019: Student-police clashes erupted at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI). In response, women began a sit-in protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, while protests broke out in other parts of the country as well.
• December 2019-January 2020: Several pleas challenging the CAA were filed in the Supreme Court.
• January 30, 2020: A man opened fire at student demonstrators outside Jamia, resulting in injuries.
• February 23, 2020: Communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi.
• March 24, 2020: Delhi Police cleared protesters from Shaheen Bagh due to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown announced by PM Modi.
• December 27, 2023: Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated the government's commitment to implementing the CAA.
• February 28, 2024: Reports surfaced indicating that the Centre would notify the CAA rules ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled for April-May.
• March 28, 2024: The CAA rules were officially notified.