Supreme Court to hear petitions challenging Citizenship Amendment Act on December 18

Supreme Court to hear petitions challenging Citizenship Amendment Act on December 18

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the recently passed Citizenship (Amendment) Act, in wake of the intensifying protests that have rocked the country. The hearing will take place on December 18.

According to reports, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi listed the matter at the top court before Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde. As many as a dozen petitions challenging the Act have been submitted before the Court. The first petition was submitted by the Indian Union Muslim League.

The Citizenship Act aims to provide for Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of the current mandatory stay of 11 years even if they do not possess any document. Several critics have claimed that the act actively discriminates against Muslims, a claim which has been refuted by the central government.

Other than the Indian Union Muslim League, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and TN Prathapan, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) diplomats in foreign countries like Nepal and Bangladesh, and two former IAS officers gave also approached the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the law.

The petitions primarily contend that the Act violates fundamental guarantees under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution, in that it violates the 'principle of equality and equal treatment', "damages and destroys" the tenet of secularism in the constitution. The petitions also point out that the Act violates the 1985 Assam Accord and a bunch of other international covenants agreed upon by India earlier.

Several pockets of the country have erupted with massive protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, ever since the bill was passed in both houses of the Parliament earlier this month. The protests took a particularly violent form in West Bengal, while New Delhi witnessed alleged police brutality against students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University on Sunday, who were protesting against the Act. All eyes are on the top court now to take necessary cognizance and jurisdiction in the matter.