A day following the issuance of notification by the Central government for the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) took immediate action by filing a fresh writ petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the rules and seeking a stay order. Representing the organization, a three-member delegation led by its chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya, alongside president Utpal Sarma and general secretary Shankar Jyoti Baruah, formally lodged the petition in the Supreme Court.
In an interview with ETV Bharat, Bhattacharya explained, “We have submitted a new petition to the Supreme Court opposing the CAA rules. We have urged the court to halt the enforcement of such notifications, which we believe are politically motivated and pose a significant threat to the indigenous population of Assam.”
Bhattacharya questioned the timing of the government’s notification on CAA rules, especially when the matter is still under consideration in the apex court. He highlighted the extensive legal opposition to CAA, with 246 petitions currently pending before the court, originating from various organizations across Northeast and other regions of India.
Emphasizing their steadfast stance against CAA, Bhattacharya announced that the North East Student Organisation (NESO) would also be filing similar petitions against the implementation of CAA rules. He criticized the BJP for prioritizing political interests over the welfare of Assam’s indigenous communities, stressing the longstanding struggle of the student body to safeguard their identity.
Bhattacharya affirmed the student body’s commitment to escalate their protest against CAA, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister to clarify their stance on excluding Inner Line Permit (ILP) and Sixth Schedule areas in Northeast from the purview of CAA. He questioned the logic behind implementing CAA in regions where it’s deemed unsuitable, while advocating its application in other parts of the region.
The CAA rules, promulgated by the Central government on Monday, seek to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim individuals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Under the notified CAA, eligibility for Indian citizenship extends to Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, Christian, and Buddhist communities who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014.
