In New Delhi, the Supreme Court is scheduled to deliberate on a cluster of petitions on Tuesday, urging a halt to the enforcement of regulations under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 until the petitions questioning the constitutional legality of the Act are resolved by the highest court.
A myriad of applicants, including the Indian Union Muslim League and others, lodged applications before the apex court subsequent to the Center’s issuance of the regulations. The petitioners requested a suspension of the regulations in their ongoing legal plea.
Upon the submission made by IUML before a bench presided over by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Senior Counsel Kapil Sibal implored for an expedited hearing on the subject.
Sibal emphasized that the Center had announced the regulations preceding the Lok Sabha elections, further suggesting that if citizenship were granted, revocation would become exceedingly difficult. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta indicated that the issue could be listed for consideration, noting the presence of over 200 petitions related to the matter.
The apex court declared that the entire cluster of over 200 petitions would be scheduled for consideration alongside the most recent interlocutory applications. The Citizenship Amendment Rules were promulgated by the Center to enforce the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019.
“It is contended that approximately 250 petitions have been filed and are pending before this court challenging various provisions of the CAA. Should this court ultimately deem the CAA unconstitutional, individuals who obtained citizenship under the Act and Rules would face potential deprivation or loss of citizenship, resulting in an anomalous scenario,” asserted the plea submitted by IUML.