1. Over 200 petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) will be heard by the Supreme Court of India today, March 19.
2. The petitions seek a halt on the implementation of the CAA and the Citizenship Amendment Rules 2024.
3. Advocates are expected to present arguments urging for a swift hearing and emphasizing concerns over the law’s implications.
New Delhi, March 19: The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear over 200 petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) today, March 19.
These petitions seek a stay on the CAA’s implementation and the Citizenship Amendment Rules 2024.
Implemented by the Central government on March 11, the CAA has faced extensive legal scrutiny since its parliamentary approval in December 2019.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra will preside over the hearing and consider the arguments presented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represents the Indian Union Muslim League.
Sibal emphasized that once Indian citizenship is conferred to Hindu migrants, it cannot be retracted, underscoring the urgency for a swift hearing on the matter.
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Enacted in 2019, the Citizenship Amendment Act aims to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived before December 31, 2014. This includes Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians.
The introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Rules prompted the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a political party based in Kerala, to file a petition with the Supreme Court.
IUML contends that the enforcement of these rules, alongside the controversial law, should be halted, arguing against punitive action towards Muslims not covered by the law.
