A total of 158 refugees will receive Indian citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and related legal procedures at a ceremony in Ahmedabad on October 13, according to information reported by Sandesh. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi is scheduled to attend the event and present the certificates.
The ceremony will be held at the Sal Institute campus in Sola, Ahmedabad. Of the 158 beneficiaries, 126 will receive citizenship directly under the CAA, while the remaining 32 will be granted citizenship after completing the legal process through the Ahmedabad Collector’s Office.
The distribution programme is intended for refugees who have been awaiting Indian citizenship. The source report describes the beneficiaries as Hindu and other minority refugees who arrived from Pakistan and other neighbouring countries. The certificates will formally recognise their citizenship after the relevant administrative and legal procedures are completed.
The division between the two groups reflects the separate routes through which citizenship certificates are being issued. The 126 applicants are scheduled to receive citizenship under the CAA, while the Collector’s Office will complete the process for the other 32 applicants under the applicable legal procedure before handing over their certificates.
The Ahmedabad event is part of a wider citizenship process in Gujarat. Government figures cited in the report state that more than 1,200 refugees received Indian citizenship in the state between 2017 and 2025. The beneficiaries included refugees from Pakistan and other neighbouring countries who belong to Hindu and other minority communities.
For the families receiving the certificates, the event marks the completion of a long administrative process. Indian citizenship provides formal legal recognition and allows beneficiaries to participate in civic and public life as citizens, although the source report does not provide individual details about their places of residence, occupations or the duration of their applications.
The programme will take place on October 13 at the Sal Institute campus in Sola, with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi scheduled to distribute the certificates. The Collector’s Office will remain responsible for completing the legal process for the 32 applicants whose certificates are being issued through that route.
