Local priest may give CAA certificates, says govt!
As per information provided to The Hindu via the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ CAA helpline, a local priest has the authority to issue an ‘eligibility certificate’ under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, to confirm the religion of an applicant.
This certificate is obligatory and must be submitted along with an affidavit and other necessary documents through the CAA portal. Moreover, applicants are required to articulate the grounds for their desire to obtain Indian citizenship.
The person issuing the certificate is mandated to declare that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, the applicant belongs to the Hindu/Sikh/Buddhist/Jain/Parsi/Christian community and remains affiliated with it.
On March 21, the Union Home Ministry initiated a toll-free helpline number, 1032 to provide support and information on the application procedure. This step followed the enactment of rules under the Act on March 11, 2019, albeit without specifying the designated authority for issuing the certificate.
According to The Hindu‘s findings, helpline staff mentioned that the certificate could be issued either on a blank sheet of paper or on judicial paper with a stamp valued at Rs 10. Additionally, any local priest can be enlisted to issue this certificate.
