Centre expands panels to speed up CAA citizenship in Bengal ahead of polls

Two days after the final electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision was published in West Bengal, the Union Home Ministry notified two more empowered committees to fast-track citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act. In total, four such committees headed by central government officials have been formed to clear applications, with three established in the last 10 days. The move comes as Bengal gears up for polls in the next two months and follows a history of backlog in the CAA process.

West Bengal’s districts with larger Muslim populations have the highest numbers of cases awaiting adjudication under SIR, and the Matua community—Hindu Namasudras with roots in Bangladesh—has seen thousands either applying or being urged by the BJP to apply for citizenship under CAA. Their names were not in the 2002 electoral rolls and did not appear in the final SIR list published on February 28. Since the CAA was implemented in 2024, the Centre has not released data on how many applications have been received or how many citizenship certificates have been granted, particularly in West Bengal.

A senior BJP figure from the state, Jagannath Sarkar, said the previously formed empowered committee has struggled to clear pending CAA applications, alleging delays by postal department officials who allegedly show a “Communist bent of mind” and stall processing. The comments highlight the politicized discourse surrounding CAA in Bengal as the electoral contest nears.

To bypass the role of the state government in implementing the law, the CAA Rules notified in March 2024 appointed empowered committees whose heads are officers designated by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. The central move to accelerate processing is framed by the government as a step to streamline adjudications and provide timely citizenship outcomes, even as critics warn of political overtones and the need for transparency in the data and hearings.

As Bengal voters head to the polls, officials say the new panels are intended to deliver faster decisions on eligible applicants, balancing administrative efficiency with due process. Observers will be watching how these committees operate, what timelines they set for hearings, and how data on approved certificates will be shared publicly.

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