UNHRC files in Supreme Court on Citizenship Amendment Act

On March 3, 2020, the United Nation Human Rights Commission moved to Supreme Court on the matter of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The commission has filed a case challenging CAA.

India on the Move of UNHRC

India believes that the CAA is an internal matter of the country. Also, according to India, CAA is constitutionally valid.

What is the issue?

The Citizenship Amendment Act was passed in 2019. The act amends Citizenship Act 1955. It seeks to give nationality only to 6 religious communities (Hindus, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Sikhs) if they entered India before 31 December 2014. It does not include Muslims. Also, the act does not include other refugees such as Rohingya from Myanmar and Tamils from Sri Lanka.

Significance of the act

According to GoI, the partition of India failed to protect the minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. India and Pakistan were partitioned under Nehru-Liaqat pact in 1950. Pakistan announced itself as a Muslim nation while India became secular. Even after independence, India has constantly conceded that minorities in Pakistan are its responsibilities.

The act was passed to protect them according to GoI.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2020