SC grants Centre 3 weeks to respond to pleas seeking stay of Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024

 The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Centre to respond within three weeks to applications seeking a stay on the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 after the latter sought time to file a reply to these applications.

These applications have sought a stay on the CAA Rules till the apex court disposes of the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the act.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud posted the matter for resumed hearing on April 9. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the Bench that he needed some time to respond to the 20 applications which have sought a stay on the Rules till the apex court disposes of the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, reported PTI.

"It (CAA) does not take away citizenship of any person," Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah notified the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, on March 11 with the law’s relevant rules, four years after the controversial law was passed by Parliament.

The new law aims to fast-track applications of Indian citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.