Supreme Court to begin final hearing on anti-CAA petitions from May 5

The Supreme Court of India on February 19 announced that it will commence final hearings on May 5 on over 200 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

The petitions, including the lead plea filed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), have been pending since 2019–2020. The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain and Parsi communities who entered the country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi issued procedural directions for the final round of arguments. The court said it would first hear the petitioners, including the IUML, for one-and-a-half days, following which the Centre will be given a day to present its arguments.

The bench indicated that the hearings are scheduled to conclude by May 12.

The court also directed all parties to file any additional documents and written submissions within four weeks.

It further clarified that it would initially hear pleas relating to the pan-India application of the CAA before taking up petitions specifically concerning Assam and Tripura.

The CAA has remained a subject of intense legal and political debate since its enactment, with critics arguing that it violates the constitutional principle of equality, while the Centre maintains that the law provides refuge to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries.