SC to hear petitions challenging Citizenship Amendment Act on Sep 12

New Delhi, Sep 08: The Supreme Court is likely to hear a batch of petitions challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India U U Lalit is likely to hear over 200 petitions filed opposing the Act. Justice S Ravindra Bhat will also be part of the bench, Live Law reported.

In December 2019, the Bench comprising CJI Bobde and Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant had asked the Centre to file a response by the second week of January.

According to Live Law "The Petitions contended that the Act, which liberalizes and fast-tracks the grant of citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, promotes religion-based discrimination.

A Kerala-based political party Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Congress leader and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, NGOs Rihai Manch and Citizens Against Hate, Assam Advocates Association, and law students are several among others who had filed the plea before the top court challenging the Act.

In 2020, the Kerala government also filed a suit in the apex court becoming the first state to challenge the CAA.

The CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis entering India on or before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after five years of residence here.

Though passed in December 2019, the Rules for implementing the Act are yet to be notified.

In March 2020, the Centre filed its affidavit before the apex court saying that the CAA Act is a "benign
piece of legislation" which does not affect the "legal, democratic or secular rights" of any of the Indian
Citizens.