SC Heard Over 200 Petitions Against CAA, Hearing Adjourned Till Oct.31

DELHI: A Supreme Court Bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat today sat down to hear 219 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. 

The pleas against the CAA first came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on December 18, 2019. It has been more than a year since June 15, 2021, that the apex court is sitting to hear pleas regarding the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. 

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019, after which it became the Citizenship Amendment Act which saw widespread protests all across the country. The CAA came into effect on January 10, 2020.

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, Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, NGOs Rihai Manch and Citizens Against Hate, Assam Advocates' Association, and law students were among several others whose petitions the apex court of India heard today. 

Kerala government was one of the foremost to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act with its Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan outrightly rejecting the act and ordered to not make it applicable in Kerala.

The top court also earlier issued a notice to the Centre and refused to pass an interim order staying the law without hearing the Centre.

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.

The apex court also earlier said that the act has different implications with respect to Assam and so if any resolution is passed Assam's case will be separately judged keeping the 20 decades of infiltration that Assam witnessed from 1951 to 1971 in mind. Assam already has borne the brunt of immigrants and if it again welcomes immigrants, the Assamese culture and language may be at risk which the apex court will keep in mind. 

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing until October 31. 

Also Read: Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika Urges CAA Protestors Not To Disrupt Grade III & IV Posts Exams

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