Guwahati: The Supreme Court, on Friday, sought responses from both the Central and Assam governments concerning a plea challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules of 2024.
These rules are designed to facilitate and regulate the process of granting Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who arrived from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.
Representing petitioner Hiren Gohain, a resident of Guwahati, a lawyer brought forth the submissions before a Bench comprising Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala.
The court subsequently issued notices to the State government as well as the Union ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs. Additionally, the court ordered the integration of this fresh plea with existing ones addressing similar issues.
The plea highlighted concerns regarding the significant demographic changes in Assam due to the unchecked influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh. It emphasized the plight of indigenous people, once the majority but now minority in their own land.
Previously, the Bench, while declining to halt the Citizenship (Amendment) Act’s operation, urged the Centre to respond to applications seeking a stay on the implementation of its rules until the apex court resolves the challenges to the Act’s validity. Gohain’s plea argued that the CAA Rules of 2024 violate constitutional principles, being discriminatory and against the Constitution’s basic structure.
The petitioner, representing both himself and a majority of indigenous Assam residents, aims to enforce their fundamental rights. It stressed that the issue transcends communal boundaries, characterising it as a struggle between Indians and foreign infiltrators, irrespective of religion.
The plea referenced the 2011 census, revealing that indigenous Assamese comprised only about 1.34 crore out of Assam’s total population of approximately 3.21 crores. It also mentioned the significant presence of Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims, as well as migrants from other Indian states.
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The Citizenship (Amendment) Rules of 2024 were unveiled on March 11, just before the Lok Sabha elections, initiating the process of granting Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from neighboring countries. The rules were immediately enforced according to a gazette notification.
The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act sparked widespread protests across India in late 2019 and early 2020 due to perceived discriminatory clauses.
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