Ahmedabad citizenship certificates were issued to 158 refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh at a ceremony organised by the district administration, according to Divya Bhaskar – Ahmedabad. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi presented the certificates at the event.
The beneficiaries included 126 people whose applications were processed under the Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, and 32 others registered through the district Collector’s office. The ceremony marked their formal recognition as Indian citizens, according to the report.
The beneficiaries included Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi families who had arrived from Pakistan after facing what the report described as religious persecution. The event brought together families who had lived for years without Indian citizenship documentation and were now receiving certificates through the relevant administrative process.
Sanghvi referred to the experiences of families including Nirmala, Kunwarben and Nandlal, who had migrated from Pakistan. He also highlighted the achievements of Dhara Sindhu, described in the report as a sportsperson who has won district-, state- and national-level medals despite physical challenges.
Sanghvi said the next generations of the newly recognised citizens could become doctors, engineers and sportspersons and contribute to the country’s development. His remarks framed citizenship documentation as a step that could give families greater access to formal civic and administrative life, although the report did not provide details of the beneficiaries’ next administrative steps.
The ceremony also highlighted the role of district-level administration in processing citizenship applications. The report said that government gazette notifications issued in 2016 and 2018 delegated citizenship-granting powers to Collectors in specified cases. This administrative structure has made the Collector’s office an important point of contact for eligible applicants in Ahmedabad.
According to the report, more than 1,500 people have received Indian citizenship in Ahmedabad under the CAA since its implementation. It also stated that more than 1,200 applicants were granted citizenship in Ahmedabad district between 2017 and 2025, making the district the first in the country on that measure. The report did not provide a national comparative table or a breakdown of the applications approved through each legal route.
The latest ceremony therefore combines two administrative pathways: applications processed under the CAA and cases handled through the Collector’s office. The district administration’s continuing role will determine how further eligible applications are examined and how citizenship certificates are issued in future ceremonies.
