The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has moved the Supreme Court urgently seeking a stay on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, citing the act as ‘unconstitutional and discriminatory’. This comes a day after the central government notified the rules and regulations of the CAA’s implementation, almost five years after this act was passed in the Indian parliament.

Soon after the central government notified the rules and announced the implementation, several opposition parties and leaders criticised Narendra Modi-led government for implementing the act just a few weeks before elections, calling the move ‘discriminatory and divisive’.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called it a "divisive agenda" of the BJP and added that "people will teach them (BJP) a befitting lesson".

Passed by the Indian parliament in December 2019 and assented by the president in the same month, the act aims to give citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, where these communities are in extreme minority and are regularly persecuted for not accepting Islam. The move aligns with the Centre's aim to provide refuge to minorities facing religious persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said, “The Modi government today notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. These rules will now enable minorities persecuted on religious grounds in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to acquire citizenship in our nation. With this notification PM Narendra Modi Ji has delivered on another commitment and realised the promise of the makers of our constitution to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians living in those countries.”

Back in 2019, soon after the act came into being, multiple protests and riots erupted across the country where Anti-CAA mobs wreaked havoc. These very protests and riots led to loss of many lives and also led to heavy loss of property. However, the government did not pay heed to the opposition and protests which were fuelled with misinformation and still went ahead with implementation of the act.

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