Tarun Gogoi appears as lawyer in SC for hearing on pleas against CAA

Former Assam chief minister and veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi was seen in lawyer's black robes on Wednesday to witness the crucial proceedings in the Supreme Court which decided to examine the validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Gogoi, 83, who has been the chief minister of Assam thrice before being succeeded by the BJP's Sarbananda Sonowal in 2016, was seen in the crowded courtroom of Chief Justice S A Bobde in lawyer's robes.

The news that Tarun Gogoi would be appearing as a lawyer in the case pertaining to the validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was shared on Twitter by his son and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, who represents the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency.

Several northeastern states, including Assam, have seen intense protests recently against the newly enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Jains and Parsis who came from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.

President Ram Nath Kovind had given assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on December 12, turning it into an Act.

The top court decided on Wednesday to examine the constitutional validity of the amended Citizenship Act, but refused to stay its operation after taking note of as many as 59 pleas including those filed by Indian Union Muslim League and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

The court would now hear the pleas on January 22.