SC Issues Notice To Centre On Citizenship Amendment Act; No Stay On Implementation of New Law

The bench comprising of Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant refused to stay the implementation of the Act and said it will hear the pleas in January.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre, on Wednesday, over a batch of pleas challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act, but  refused to put a stay on the new law. The bench comprising of Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant refused to stay the implementation of the Act and said it will hear the pleas in January. Since, Wednesday is Supreme Court’s last working day before it closes for winter, the petitioners sought to stop the operation of the law. The bench,  however,  has fixed for hearing on Jan 22, the  pleas filed by IUML, Cong leader Jairam Ramesh and others against the Citizenship Act. During the proceedings, CJI Bobde called Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal and said there is “unusual request” from lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay who says he visited Jamia and people don't know about the Act, can you publicise the Citizenship Amendment Act?" AG said "government authorities can publish the Act". AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Kerala’s Muslim League party and several other leaders have filed pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the law. Other petitioners - which include Peace Party, NGOs Rihai Manch and Citizens Against Hate, advocate M.L. Sharma, and law students -- have a common issue with the amended Act, which declares members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 after facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. Watch: A bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant had said the pleas will be heard along with other pending matters on Wednesday. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought urgent listing of two pleas and insisted the hearing should be clubbed with a similar plea filed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). He informed the bench he has filed two pleas, one by the Congress and the other by ex-Maharaja of Tripura. On Thursday, a writ petition was filed by the IUML claiming that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) 2019, passed by the Parliament on Wednesday, violates Article 14 of the Constitution. President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on Thursday night, turning it into an Act.