IUML moves Supreme Court seeking stay on CAA implementation

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking a stay on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Kerala-based party challenged the law, a day after the Centre notified CAA rules, and launched an online portal for non-Muslim refugees applying for citizenship.

The petition argued that the implementation of CAA must be paused till the Supreme Court rules on the pending petitions against the Act.

The IUML was among the first to challenge the law in 2019, calling it "unconstitutional" and "discriminatory" against the Muslim community. The hearings were paused at the time after the Centre told the apex court that the rules are yet to be notified.

The amendments to the Citizenship Act was passed in 2019 enabling Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to seek Indian citizenship. The law provided for an accelerated path to citizenship for illegal migrants fleeing religious persecution from the three neighbouring countries, as long as they entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

But the law excluded Muslims, drawing criticism from various corners, as it was perceived to be discriminatory on the basis of religion.

250 petitions are pending against the Act in the Supreme Court. Petitioners argue that a law has to be religion-neutral to stand the test of Constitutional validity.