The new law will grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from the three neighbouring countries on the ground that they came to India due to religious persecution because they are minorities.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has approached the Supreme Court against the new citizenship law, news agency ANI reported on Saturday.
“AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act,” Owaisi’s lawyer Nizam Pasha was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Hyderabad lawmaker, who had torn the copy of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Centre’s move.
Owaisi had alleged the bill was aimed at making Muslims “stateless”. He also warned that it would lead to another partition during the debate in the Lok Sabha.
The new law will grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from the three neighbouring countries on the ground that they came to India due to religious persecution because they are minorities.
Under the new law, those belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan would not be counted as illegal migrants even if they don’t have documents.
According to these changes, people of these communities will be entitled to get Indian citizenship in six years – instead of 12 years – and the cut off date is December 31, 2014. Once they apply, they will be insulated from all proceedings for entering the country illegally.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and by Lok Sabha on Monday. And on Thursday, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to the bill turning it into an act.
Prasanta Patnaik