SC refuses to stay CAA implementation, seeks center's reply by April 9

The Supreme Court, in a hearing on Tuesday, declined to stay the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and its associated rules until the next hearing scheduled for April 9. The Court pointed out that the government currently lacks the necessary infrastructure to execute the CAA rules, raising doubts about its ability to grant citizenship by April 9.

The apex court issued notices in cases where they were previously not issued and directed the Centre to file a response by April 9. Additionally, the Court instructed petitioners to submit a consolidated application through nodal counsel by April 2.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, while passing the order, stated, "Let submissions be made on the stay application limited to 5 pages till April 2. Let respondents (Centre) file a 5 page reply to the application by April 8. So we will have all the essential arguments a day before the hearing."

Senior Advocate Indira Jaisingh, representing the petitioners, urged the Court to refer the matter to a larger bench. She further pressed for a stay on the implementation of the CAA, stating that once Indian citizenship is granted, it cannot be rescinded. In response, CJI DY Chandrachud questioned the government's readiness to implement the rules by April 9, given the lack of established infrastructure.

A total of 237 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) and the recently notified Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.