Today, the Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of over 200 petitions challenging the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, as well as the Citizenship Amendment Rules 2024. The petitioners are seeking a stay on the implementation of these laws until the court decides on the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will lead the bench, accompanied by Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Last week, senior advocate Kapil Sibal brought attention to a plea filed by the Kerala-based Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) questioning the timing of the law’s implementation, particularly with impending Lok Sabha elections. The petitioners argue that the CAA discriminates against Muslims on religious grounds, violating the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution. Among the petitioners are Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, NGOs Rihai Manch and Citizens Against Hate, Assam Advocates Association, and several law students. The IUML, Debabrata Saikia, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, Democratic Youth Federation of India, and the Social Democratic Party of India have also challenged the Citizenship Amendment Act Rules, 2024, through which the CAA was enacted. The central government has consistently defended the law, asserting that it does not infringe upon the legal, democratic, or secular rights of citizens and urging the court to dismiss the petitions challenging it. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which was passed in December 2019, was implemented by the central government on March 11, 2024. This move sparked widespread protests across the country and has since been under intense scrutiny. The CAA offers expedited citizenship pathways to migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian communities who entered India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in their home countries