Will SC Put Stay On CAA Implementation? Apex Court To Hear 237 Petitions Today

The Supreme Court is set to review several pleas on Tuesday requesting the government to suspend the enforcement of the 2024 Citizenship Amendment Rules. The stay is demanded until the court has resolved the challenges to the constitutionality of the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The bench announced its intention to schedule all applications requesting a suspension of the Rules for a hearing on Tuesday. Additionally, the highest court mentioned that the entire set of 237 petitions will be included in the list alongside the most recent applications.

The early hearing was warranted after Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) argued that once migrant Hindus are granted Indian citizenship, it cannot be revoked, thus suggesting the need for an expedited hearing. A panel consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra have acknowledged the arguments by Sibal.

Apart from IUML, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Debabrata Saika, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Abdul Khaleque, a Congress MP from Assam, and various others have also submitted applications requesting a suspension of the Rules.

‘Muslim Community Deprived Of CAA Benefits’ 

One day after the government released the regulations under the CAA, the Kerala-based political party IUML filed a petition in the Supreme Court, requesting a stay to the enforcement of these regulations. The IUML urged for a suspension of the contested law and regulations, arguing that no punitive measures should be taken against members of the Muslim community who have been excluded from the benefits of this legislation, reported ANI. 

PK Kunhalikutty, a leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), expressed solidarity with the Kerala government's stance of abstaining from enforcing CAA. "Why should they implement a law that has not been welcomed by anyone in India? What is the need? Why are they taking a partisan stand in the matter of citizenship? " Kunhalikutty told agency. 

Kerala Government’s Plea Against CAA 

On March 11, following the Union Home Ministry's notification of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that Kerala would not enforce the Act. Vijayan stated, "The LDF government approached the Supreme Court to confirm that Kerala would not implement the Citizenship Amendment Act. Kerala is the first state to move a plea against CAA in the Supreme Court. The state will initiate further legal action soon."

Mandate Under CAA 2019  

The regulations of the CAA, brought by the Central government and ratified by Parliament in 2019, is designed to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted migrants belonging to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians community who fled from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and entered India prior to December 31, 2014.