Indian SC to hear pleas seeking stay on CAA rules on March 19

India's Supreme Court today said it would hear on March 19 petitions seeking a stay on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Rules, 2024 till the pendency of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the law before the apex court.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, took note of the submissions of senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Indian Union Muslim League, that once the citizenship is granted to migrant Hindus, it cannot be taken back and hence the issues needed an early hearing.

"We will hear this on Tuesday. There are 190 plus cases. All of them will be heard," justice Chandrachud said.

The CAA gives citizenship to members of six "persecuted" religious minority communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who shifted to India till December 31, 2014 but keeps out Muslims from those countries.

The rules for implementing CAA were notified on March 12, more than four years after the law was passed by Indian parliament.

Under CAA, "persecuted" Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains who entered India from three of its neighbouring countries till 2014 are eligible to get citizenship.