SC to hear petitions against CAA on Dec 18

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider on December 18 a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which made only Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, except Muslims, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship.

Senior advocates A M Singhvi and Kapil Sibal mentioned the PILs filed by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and the erstwhile king of Tripura dynasty Pradyot Deb Burman and sought a direction for urgent hearing from a bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde.

The court agreed to post the matter for hearing on December 18, the last working day before the Winter vacations. More than 15 petitions have so far been filed against the contentious law.

Prominent activists and academicians Harsh Mander, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Irfan Habib, and Prabhat Patnaik also on Monday filed a PIL through advocate Prashant Bhushan challenging validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Democratic Youth Federation of India also challenged the validity of the law which got the President's assent on December 12 a day after its passage from Parliament. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind through its general secretary Syed Maulana Mahmood Madani also approached the court contending that the classification made on the basis of persecuted minorities of three countries was not based upon intelligible differentia. It asked the court to strike down the law for violating Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Barpeta Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque, Leader of Opposition of Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia and Rupjyoti Kurmi, MLA from Mariani Legislative Assembly, Assam. T N Prathapan, Member of Parliament from Thrissur constituency also filed his petition against the 2019 Amendment Act.

Pradyot Deb Burman, member of Manikya dynasty of Tripura also separately approached the Supreme Court questioning the validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act. TMC MP Mahua Moitra also filed a plea on Friday.

Kerala's political party IUML and its MPs were the first to file the petition.