Centre shifts CAA application processing to district collectors in 8 states, UTs
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has transferred the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, from Empowered Committees to district collectors in eight States and Union Territories. The decision, announced through an order dated August 19, streamlines the process by consolidating authority at the district level.
The collectors in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (excluding tribal areas), Tripura (excluding tribal areas), Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will now receive, scrutinise, and dispose of applications for citizenship by registration or naturalisation under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act. The order effectively makes the earlier multi-agency committees redundant in these jurisdictions.
The Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified alongside the order, empower collectors to verify documents, conduct necessary enquiries, administer the Oath of Allegiance, and determine whether an applicant meets eligibility requirements. If satisfied, the collector can grant Indian citizenship. Applications may be rejected if an applicant fails to appear personally for the oath despite reasonable opportunities.
This move follows the Bharatiya Janata Party's assumption of power in West Bengal, a state where the CAA had faced strong opposition from the previous Trinamool Congress government. To bypass the state government's role, the Ministry had previously constituted Empowered Committees at central and district levels, comprising officials from the Census, Intelligence Bureau, and postal departments. The committees were set up ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections in April this year.
The CAA, implemented through rules that came into effect on March 11, 2024, provides a path to Indian citizenship for undocumented migrants belonging to six non-Muslim communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. The legislation was passed by Parliament in December 2019 and has been a subject of legal challenge, with the Supreme Court hearing petitions against it.
In West Bengal, a significant intended beneficiary group is the Matua community, comprising Hindu Namasudras with roots in Bangladesh. The Matuas are considered an influential electoral bloc in the state. While the CAA was designed for undocumented migrants, the rules require applicants to provide documents issued by government authorities in the three neighbouring countries. Reports suggest that many Matuas could not find their names in the voter list after the Special Intensive Revision exercise, raising concerns about documentation.
The order also makes the March 11, 2024 notification implementing the Citizenship Amendment Rules inapplicable to these eight jurisdictions. Two subsequent orders issued in February and March 2026 have been rescinded, while actions already taken under them have been protected.
Citizenship is a subject under the Union List of the Constitution, allowing the Central government to legislate on it. However, State governments typically provide logistics such as office space and police verification. The new arrangement places the responsibility directly on district collectors, who are state-appointed officials, but operate under central directives in this matter.
The transfer of powers to collectors is seen as an administrative simplification, reducing the need for multiple committees. It remains to be seen how this affects the pace of citizenship processing and the pending applications in the affected states and Union Territories. Legal challenges to the CAA continue, with the Supreme Court yet to deliver a final verdict on its constitutional validity.
