Centre Empowers District Collectors to Grant CAA Citizenship

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order on August 19, 2026, transferring the authority to process Citizenship Amendment Act applications from Empowered Committees to District Collectors.

The new rules apply to jurisdictions in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, replacing the previous multi-agency committee structure.

District Collectors are now responsible for verifying documents, administering the Oath of Allegiance, and determining the eligibility of applicants from six non-Muslim communities who entered India before December 31, 2014.