SC may hear pleas challenging Citizenship Amendment Act after Sabarimala case

Supreme Court may consider hearing the batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 after the conclusion of hearing in the Sabarimala case.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Central government on Thursday, told a bench of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde that Centre will file its reply within two days.

CJI Bobde asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal to mention the matter again after Holi break after Sibal mentioned the petitions for urgent listing.

Sibal said some interim orders are required in the case and a hearing of two hours may be required for arguments.

CJI Bobde said the Bench will consider its listing after the Sabrimala matter.

The apex court had earlier issued notice to the Central government seeking its response on the pleas challenging the CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Over a hundred petitions have been filed in the apex court for and against the amended citizenship law, which is being protested against at several places across the country.

The amended law grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and took refuge in India on or before December 31, 2014.