The Indian Union Muslim League has submitted a plea to the Supreme Court, seeking an injunction on the recently introduced Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Rules 2024. The petition urges a halt to the ongoing implementation of the contentious sections of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, and the Citizenship Amendment Rules 2024.
According to the plea, the Act and the Rules will lead to the establishment of exclusive rights and the conferment of citizenship solely to individuals of specific religions. This provision is argued to favor only particular religions, thereby creating an unfavorable circumstance during the pendency of the current writ petition.
The Central Government officially announced the rules governing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on March 11, 2024. Despite widespread protests nationwide, the CAA was ratified by Parliament in 2019. The legislation aims to expedite the citizenship procedure for non-Muslim migrants, encompassing Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before 2014. However, the Act has encountered significant delays and continuous criticism from opposition parties.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Union Ministry for Home Affairs declared, “Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be notifying today the Rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA-2019). These rules, called the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 will enable the persons eligible under CAA-2019 to apply for a grant of Indian citizenship.”