SC seeks Centre's response on pleas against CAA
The Supreme Court on Tuesday requested Narendra Modi's government to address a clutch of 230 petitions demanding temporary suspension of the Citizenship Amendment Rules (CAR). Representing the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked for more time to reply to petitions, following which the hearing was adjourned. The court has now listed the matter for April 9. To recall, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) rules were notified on March 11.
Why does this story matter?
The CAA, passed by Parliament in December 2019, faced a four-year delay in implementation due to lack of announced regulations. In 2020, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), filed a plea demanding a temporary halt on the regulations until the court can determine their constitutionality. Since then, nearly 250 pleas have been filed before the SC and clubbed with IUML's application.
Petitioners object to amount of time given for reply
In the meantime, there is no stay on the grant of citizenship even as some of the petitioners have pressed for it. The SC's verdict was opposed by Sibal, who alleged that it was an inordinate amount of time to seek to file a reply to stay applications. "If the process of citizenship starts, it cannot be reversed. If they have waited till now, they can wait till July or whenever this court decides the matter," he argued.
CAA intends to assist oppressed non-Muslim immigrants: Government
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently expressed that the Citizenship Amendment Rules, 2024 would assist oppressed minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in obtaining Indian citizenship. He asserted that the CAA will never be repealed and explained that the new regulations aim to provide Indian citizenship to oppressed non-Muslim immigrants such as Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians. Notably, all these individuals should have migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan and reached India prior to December 31, 2014.
CAA regulations and procedures explained
The newly announced regulations for the CAA detail the methods and procedures for eligible individuals seeking Indian citizenship. The entire process will be carried out online, with applicants given the choice to apply using their mobile phones. Applicants will need to state the year they entered India without travel documents, with no further documentation required from them.
