SC to hear batch of petitions challenging Citizenship Amendment Act on January 22

The petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be heard by a three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) will on Wednesday (January 22) hear a batch of 133 pleas challenging or supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA). The petitions will be heard by a three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The top court will also hear the plea filed by the BJP-led government at the Centre seeking transfer of all CAA-related petitions pending before several high courts to the SC.

Several pleas have been filed in the SC challenging the constitutional validity of the new legislation, including those by RJD leader Manoj Jha, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. Several other petitioners include Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, All Assam Students Union (AASU), Peace Party, CPI, NGOs 'Rihai Manch' and Citizens Against Hate, advocate M L Sharma, and some law students have also approached the apex court challenging the Act. Some of the petitions filed later have also sought a stay on the operation of the legislation which came into force on January 10.

It is to be noted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind on December 12, turning it into an Act. Since then, there have been severe protests in different parts of the country against the Act.

On January 9, a plea seeking that the CAA be declared constitutional was rejected by the SC. At that time, the SC apex court had said that the country is going through difficult times and there is so much violence that endeavour should be for peace. For its part, BJP is also reaching out to the people to mobilise support for the newly amended citizenship law and "remove misconceptions created by the opposition".

Kerala government has also challenged the validity of the CAA in the apex court. Kerala and Punjab assemblies have also passed resolution against the CAA. On Tuesday (January 21), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that it will bring an anti-CAA resolution in the state assembly on January 27. This came hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said at a pro-CAA rally in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow that the Centre won't take back the citizenship law and the opposition can protest as much as they want.

Shah also challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and others to hold an open debate with him on the new legislation.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.