CAA Doesn’t Take Anyone’s Citizenship, Centre Tells SC, Seeks Time To Reply On Pleas Challenging Law

As the Supreme Court today heard a batch of over two hundred petitions filed challenging the implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), the Centre said the act does not take away anyone's citizenship and sought time to reply to applications seeking stay CAA.

The petitions were heard by a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

The top court bench has scheduled the hearing for this matter on April 9.

What did the Centre say?

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represents the Centre, sought some time to respond to the 20 applications which demanded a stay on the Rules till the apex court disposes of the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

"It (CAA) does not take away citizenship of any person," Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

Petition By Kerala Based IUML

Being the first state to oppose the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Kerala moved the Supreme Court against the CAA in 2020. The state in its petition mentioned that it was against the provisions of the Right to Equality granted by the Indian Constitution. It has also filed another case in the Supreme Court challenging the CAA rules.

Earlier, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned about a plea filed by the Kerala-based Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) before the Supreme Court.

About the other petitions

The names of the other petitioners besides the one filed by IUML include Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, Congress leader and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, NGOs Rihai Manch and Citizens Against Hate, Assam Advocates Association; and some law students.

Furthermore, petitions have also been filed by Debabrata Saikia, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (a regional student outfit), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) have also challenged the CAA Rules, 2024 through which the CAA was implemented.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was implemented on March 11, 2024 with the notification of the relevant rules after the controversial law was passed by Parliament.

The rules allow Indian citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.