Supreme Court refuses to stay Citizenship (Amendment) Act, hearing of petitions on 22 December

December 18: The much debated Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was taken up for hearing by the Supreme Court of India on 18 December. The apex court, however, refused to stay the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019.

CJI Sharad A. Bobde instead orally asked the government to publicise the actual intent of the Act so that there was no confusion among the public about its objectives. “I agree. We will see to it,” Mr. Venugopal responded.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court issued a formal notice admitting 59 petitions filed by people from all walks of life and faiths. The court said it would hear the petitions on January 22. This is the last working day before the Supreme Court closes for winter vacations till 2 January, 2020.