MHA sets up two more empowered panels in West Bengal to process CAA citizenship applications

The Union Home Ministry set up two more empowered committees in West Bengal to decide on applications seeking Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act, according to a government order.

The State already has two such committees. However, in view of the large number of applications, a decision was taken to constitute two additional panels, officials said on Monday (March 2, 2026).

The empowered committee will be headed by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, to be nominated by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

In a gazette notification issued on Monday (March 2), the Ministry said each empowered committee will also comprise an officer of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India; an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India to be nominated by the jurisdictional Foreigners Regional Registration Officer concerned; and an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India to be nominated by the State Informatics Officer of the National Informatics Centre of West Bengal.

The committee will further include the Post Master General of West Bengal or a postal officer nominated by the Post Master General, not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India, it said.

The notification said there will be two invitees — a representative from the office of the Principal Secretary (Home) or Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of the West Bengal government, and a representative of the jurisdictional Divisional Railway Manager of Railways.

According to a notification issued on March 11, 2024, the empowered committee under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was headed by the Director (Census Operations) and had seven other members.

The Centre implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 on March 11, 2024, notifying the rules four years after Parliament passed the contentious law to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.