The Supreme Court will hear petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, and the CAA Rules on March 19, 2024. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, leading a three-judge bench, announced that all 237 petitions will be heard together with various interlocutory applications.
This decision came after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing petitioner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), emphasized the need for the court to address the matter now that the CAA Rules have been notified. Sibal expressed concerns about the irreversible consequences of granting citizenship under the Act, especially with the Lok Sabha elections approaching.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta refrained from commenting on the listing but stated that none of the petitioners had the authority to question the citizenship grant.
Following the Centre's notification of the CAA Rules, the IUML and others approached the court seeking a stay. In its application, the IUML argued that the Rules introduced a fast-tracked process for citizenship grant, which it deemed arbitrary and discriminatory under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
The party highlighted that the Rules replaced the previous tiered scrutiny process with a District Level Committee's authority to verify documents and administer the oath of allegiance. While an Empowered Committee may review applications, this step is not mandatory, and the composition of the Empowered Committee remains undefined, raising concerns about centralized scrutiny.
