The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), 2019 was introduced in Parliament by Home Minister Amit Shah on 9 December 2019. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was introduced in Assam earlier this year. Together, the CAB and NRC raise significant questions about the future of citizenship laws in India. The legal principles determining citizenship are at the heart of the Constitution of India which guarantees right to life and equality. The amendments introduced are being widely criticized as they pose a threat to the inclusive and secular character of the Constitution.
In this talk, Faizan Mustafa, senior law professor and vice chancellor of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, explains the discriminatory nature of CAB and NRC. He begins by questioning the ideas of exclusion implicit in any law pertaining to citizenship and throws light on the history of development of laws related to citizenship in India, with a particular focus on Assam.
