What is the Inner Line Permit for Citizenship Law Amendment?

The Inner Line Permit is a travel document like Visa issued by other countries for permitting foreigners into their country. This ILP is for Indian citizens to enter into the states which are covered under this permit system. The ILP document is required to enter into Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram. This permit will be given by the concerned state government. One can apply for this permit in person and also online. There are different kinds of permits and will be different for tenants, tourists and other types of visitors. This permit will be issued for a specific period and can be renewed. Overstaying in the state without ILP is punishable. The areas also mentioned in the permit only should be visited.

If the CAA Act is implemented without the ILP, then the beneficiaries will become Indian citizens. They will be allowed to settle anywhere in the country. So if ILP is not there for them they have the right to settle even in the 4 states mentioned above. Then it will be a problem for these states. So this ILP system will be applied to the people who will become Indian citizens because of CAA.

The inner line permit is a document issued by the concerned state (only the states where it is applicable) to the Indian citizen to stay in that state for a specified time. He can not stay there for indefinite time. Presently the Inner Line Permit is applicable in four northeastern states - Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram.

Now under the CAA even if a person is certified as a bonafide citizen of India he will still need a inner line permit to visit these states. So inner line permit is still there and will be applicable to all the outside states people who want to visit or stay there for a specified period. If they want to stay for a long time they will have to renew this permit.

Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document or permission to travel from non-tribal to tribal part of India. Tribal part includes Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland and Manipur. Inner Line permit allows Indian citizens to go to any ILP protect state and live for a specific period.

Earlier ILP (under Section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier regulation of 1873) was applicable to three North Eastern States such as, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Later Manipur was also added in the list and became fourth state protected under ILP. This document is issued by the concerned state government for permission of inward travel only applicable to Indian citizen not belongs to these states. Obtaining this document for inward travel to these states is an obligatory requirement. One cannot overstay in these states without permission.

To get an Inner Line Permit one can apply either online or offline. A prescribed fee is also required to be submitted along with application form. In this document, travel dates and travel states is clearly mentioned.

But in CAA 2019, there will be exemptions to tribal area of State Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura as included in the sixth schedule and the regions under the Inner Line Permit system (ILP) covered under Bengal Eastern Frontier regulation (1873). So a person residing in any state of India except these states still need Inner Line Permit to visit and live in these States for the specific period of time.