National Desk, 15th March: The Supreme Court of India announced on Friday its decision to hear pleas seeking a stay on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 on March 19.
The law, implemented by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government on Monday, provides for citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014. Passed by Parliament in December 2019, the Act has faced criticism from Opposition leaders, who deem the notified rules as ‘unconstitutional’, ‘discriminatory’, and a violation of the ‘secular principle of citizenship’ enshrined in the Constitution.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified earlier that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would not be implemented in Northeast regions where special rights have been granted. He emphasized the CAA’s disconnection from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), stating its implementation in Assam and other parts of the country. Exemptions from the CAA include regions with provisions for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and those granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution.
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