New Delhi: The day after Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill paving the way for the grant of citizenship to religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghani-stan, the Indian Union Muslim League on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging its constitutional validity.
Seeking a declaration that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was violative of Article 14 guaranteeing right to equality before the law, the IUML also challenged the 2015 amendment to the Passport Rules and the Foreigners Order that allowed the staying back of people of minority communities who illegally entered India to escape persecution in Pakistan and Bangladesh on or before December 31, 2014.
Besides the IUML, the other petitioners are its MPs P.K. Kunhalikutty, E.T Mohammed Basheer, K. Navas Kani and Abdul Wahab.
Saying the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 was unconstitutional, the IUML contended that the bill passed by Parliament was violative of Article 14 (right to equality), Article 15 (prohibiting discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty).
