MHA released a directive allowing collectors in Gujarat's Mehsana and Anand districts to provide citizenship certificates to applicants under the Citizenship Act of 1955.
The US authorities have been trying to bring Snowden back to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges. If proven guilty in the US court, Snowden may face prison for up to 30 years.
The petition further claimed that if the applicants are granted citizenship and the Supreme Court strikes down CAA, it would be a "herculean task" and "near impossible: to take back the citizenships given.
Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian, Editorial Member of News Portal Mediyaan, alleged in a Twitter post that on scanning American Citizenship Records, it was found Thiagarajan is a US citizen.