Centre Sets Up Empowered Panel for Citizenship Applications in West Bengal

The committee has been constituted under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship Rules, 2009.

As per a Home Ministry order issued on February 20, 2026, the Central government "exercised its powers under Section 6B(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, read with Rules 11A and 13A of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, to notify the formation of the committee."

The committee will be headed by the Deputy Registrar General, Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal.

It will comprise senior officers from key central agencies, including: an officer from the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government of India; an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary, nominated by the jurisdictional Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO); an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary, nominated by the State Informatics Officer of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), West Bengal; the Postmaster General of West Bengal or a Postal Officer nominated by the Postmaster General, not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.

Additionally, representatives 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, will serve as invitees to the committee.

The order states that the terms and conditions of the committee will remain the same as those laid down in the earlier MHA order dated March 11, 2024, which was published in the Gazette of India.

The constitution of the committee is part of the procedural framework under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, which relates to the processing and grant of citizenship applications under specified provisions of the amended law.

Section 6B was inserted into the Citizenship Act, 1955, through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). The amendment provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who migrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution.

To operationalise the law, the Centre notified detailed rules in March 2024 outlining the application process, scrutiny mechanism, and the role of district-level and state-level authorities.

The empowered committees are key bodies responsible for examining applications, verifying documents, and making recommendations regarding the grant of citizenship.

West Bengal, which shares a long international border with Bangladesh and has historically witnessed migration flows, is considered one of the key states where applications under Section 6B are expected.

The formation of the committee ensures administrative coordination between intelligence agencies, census authorities, foreign registration officials, postal authorities and state representatives for verification and due diligence.

- ANI