NEW DELHI, Jan 22:
Making clear it will not stay the Citizenship (Amendment) Act without hearing the Centre, the Supreme Court today gave the Government four weeks to respond to petitions challenging the CAA and said a five-judge Constitution bench will hear the matter.
Hearing a batch of 143 petitions, an Apex Court bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice to the Centre and restrained all High Courts from hearing pleas on the CAA till it decides on the pleas.
The bench, also comprising Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna, said it will hear the petitions pertaining to Assam and Tripura separately as the problem with the CAA in these two States is different from rest of the country.
“The matter is uppermost in everybody’s mind. We will form a five-judge bench and then list the case,” the court said.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for some petitioners, said the issue be referred to a Constitution bench and the NPR exercise be postponed by a couple of months. He also urged the bench to put on hold the operationalisation of the CAA.
The bench said, “Even we think that the matter should be heard by a Constitution bench.”
Asserting that it will not grant any stay on the CAA without hearing the Centre on the matter, it said, “Will pass order on granting any interim relief to petitioner opposing CAA after four weeks.”
The court also made it clear it will not pass any ex-parte order without hearing the Centre on staying the operation of the CAA and exercise of the National Population Register (NPR).(PTI)
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