SC Denies Stay on CAA Implementation, Seeks Centre's Response

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in response to petitions challenging the law, which was notified last week ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The court granted the government three weeks, till April 8, to respond to the petitions.

During the hearing, the petitioners, including the Indian Union Muslim League, Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, and Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool, requested an interim stay on citizenship grants should any be made before April 8. The court allowed the petitioners to approach the court again in such cases.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the government, originally sought four weeks to respond to the petitions, emphasizing the need for a detailed affidavit addressing the 20 interim applications already filed, with more expected. The matter was heard by a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra. The next hearing is scheduled for April 9

The petitioners argued that the CAA is discriminatory against the Muslim community and urged the court to stay its implementation until the challenges are resolved. In 2019, the Supreme Court did not pause the implementation of the Act since its rules had not been notified. However, with the rules now in place, the petitioners asserted that the situation had changed

Opposition parties have criticized the timing of the law's implementation, four years after its parliamentary approval and just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, alleging an attempt to polarize the elections, especially in West Bengal and Assam.