Guwahati: The Supreme Court of India has fixed Thursday for hearing petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), including those filed by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Matiur Rahman and several other organisations.
After a long gap, the matter will be taken up by a three-judge bench comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi. A total of 237 petitions related to the CAA are scheduled to be heard together.
AASU president Utpal Sharma said that the legal team of AASU and the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) is fully prepared for the hearing. Senior leaders of the organisations are also expected to remain present during the proceedings.
Reiterating the organisation’s stand, Sharma said, “We do not accept CAA. Assam must be kept outside its ambit. Our struggle will continue.”
Meanwhile, another petitioner, Matiur Rahman, said that the hearing is being held before a three-judge bench after nearly two years. He alleged that the Assam government is preparing to grant citizenship under the CAA, 2019, to around 19 lakh people whose names were excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), along with 94,447 ‘D’ voters.
He further claimed that while only a small number of people in other states have benefited under CAA, the situation in Assam is different and has raised concerns among indigenous communities.
It may be mentioned that large-scale protests had erupted in Assam even before the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed into law. After it became an Act in 2019, several organisations and individuals from Assam and other states approached the Supreme Court challenging its constitutional validity.
The upcoming hearing is being closely watched in Assam, as the outcome could have significant political and social implications in the state.
