The Supreme Court has directed the Central government to provide a response within three weeks to petitions seeking a halt on the enforcement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
The Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud-led bench has scheduled further deliberations on the issue for April 9. During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, informed the bench that he requires four weeks to submit a response to the 20 applications filed.
These applications have requested a suspension of the Rules until the Supreme Court resolves the petitions contesting the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. It (CAA) does not take away citizenship of any person," Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
On March 11, the Central government facilitated the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, by issuing the necessary rules, four years subsequent to the enactment of the contentious law by Parliament. This law aims to expedite the process of granting Indian citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.