India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, MARCH 03 -The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights “intends to file” an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court of India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. India, which was informed about this on Monday evening, said that CAA was an “internal matter” and that it is a “long-standing national commitment in respect of human rights issues arising from the tragedy of Partition.” The plea asks the court to make the UNHRC a party in the case against the CAA that is being heard by the top court.
Reacting to the same, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “The Citizenship Amendment Act is an internal matter of India and concerns the sovereign right of the Indian Parliament to make laws. We strongly believe that no foreign party has any locus standi on issues pertaining to India’s sovereignty.”
“We are clear that CAA is constitutionally valid and complies with all requirements of our constitutional values. It is reflective of our long-standing national commitment in respect to human rights issues arising from the tragedy of Partition of India,” the statement further added. “India is a democratic country governed by the rule of law. We all have the utmost respect for and full trust in our independent judiciary. We are confident that our sound and legally sustainable position would be vindicated by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act passed by Parliament in December last year sparked protests across the country. The citizenship law expedites granting of citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Jains and Parsis — it leaves out Muslims — who entered the country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan until December 31, 2014.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions filed by activists, opposition members, against the amended Citizenship Act.
