Asaduddin Owaisi Moves Supreme Court, Files Petition Against New Citizenship Act

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. This came amid massive protests across country over the new Act. According to the amended Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and face religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. President Ram Nath Kovind had given assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on Thursday night, turning it into an Act.

Earlier, Owaisi launched a blistering attack on the Union government over the Bill, saying it was aimed at making Muslims "stateless" and will lead to another partition.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Owaisi said he was called Mahatma after he tore the discriminatory citizenship card in South Africa, and the Hyderabad MP then ripped the copy of the bill to highlight his protest, inviting sharp reactions from the treasury benches which described his act an "insult" to Parliament.

The is an insult to India's freedom-fighters, he said, accusing the BJP-led government of working to marginalise Muslims in the country. "The bill is against the Constitution.... It is a conspiracy to make Muslims stateless," Owaisi said, questioning the government as to why it had not included countries like China, which occupies parts of India and other countries. "Are you afraid of China?" he asked. 

Meanwhile, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has called a 6-hour bandh on Saturday to protest against Act. The bandh began at 6am.

“Pursuant to the resolution adopted in the Emergency Executive Council Meeting of NSF, held on Friday at the Federation’s Headquarter, it was unanimously decided to call for a six-hour total bandh in all the Naga inhibited areas, starting from 6am to 12 noon on December 14,” a NSF statement said.

“The bandh has been called to express the resentment of the Naga people against the passing of the contentious CAB in the Parliament, much against the interests and the sentiments of the Indigenous people in the North East states,” the statement said.