SC defers hearing of petition challenging Citizenship Bill

NEWDELHI/GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court Monday deferred hearing of a petition challenging the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, until Parliament takes a final view on issue.

“Having heard learned counsel for the petitioners, we are of the view that this matter should remain pending and be taken up only after the Citizenship Act Amendment Bill, consideration of which is now stated to be pending before the Rajya Sabha, reaches its finality. The petitioners will be at liberty to mention the matter at the appropriate time,” said a bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

The petition, jointly filed by Assam-based NGO Nagariktwa Aain Songsudhan Birodhi Mancha (Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill) and three individuals, has sought to declare the Passport (entry into India) Amendment Rules, 2015 and Foreigners (Amendment) Order as “discriminatory, arbitrary and illegal”. The Bill has been cleared by the Lok Sabha and it would now be pressed in the Upper House of Parliament.

The petition branded the gov- ernment move to differentiate “illegal immigrants” on the basis of their religion and grant them naturalisation as “communally motivated humanitarianism.”

Religion has never before been identified in the citizenship law as the ground for distinguishing between citizens and non-citizens, the petitioners argued.

RAJNATH MEETS ASSAM, MANIPUR CMS

Union home minister Rajnath Singh met the chief ministers of Assam and Manipur over the weekend to address the growing discontent in the north-eastern states over the Citizenship Bill.

“Rajnath Singh assured the delegations that the interests of all north-eastern states, including Manipur and Assam, and their culture and heritage will be fully protected. He will call a meeting of all the chief ministers,” a home ministry statement said. Meanwhile, protests against the controversial legislation were on in Assam. On Monday, Akhil Gogoi, the leader of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, an influential peasant organisation, started a 24-hour fast in Guwahati. Gogoi, along with noted intellectual Hiren Gohain and journalist Manjit Mahanta, were granted bail by the Gauhati high court on Friday after they were slapped with sedition charges for allegedly making “inflammatory statements” at a rally held in Guwahati to protest against the Bill.

The Asom Gana Parishad, BJP’S former ally in the state, also announced that it will soon take to the streets against the Citizenship Bill. AGP had last week pulled out of the Bjp-led coalition government in the state.

“We have will launch a statewide agitation starting January 18,” said Atul Bora, president of AGP and a former cabinet minister in Sarbananda Sonowal government.

In another development, the state has decided that a five-member committee led by minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will talk to stakeholders in the wake of the Centre’s decision to grant scheduled tribe (ST) status to six communities — Koch-rajbongshis, Muttocks, Tai Ahoms, Morans,chutiyas and Tea tribes. NEWDELHI: A Delhi court on Monday allowed alleged middleman Christian Michel, arrested in the Agustawestland VVIP chopper case, to make phone calls to his family members and lawyers abroad.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar granted 15 minutes a week to Michel to make international calls. The accused had moved the court claiming that the jail authorities had rejected his plea seeking the permission.

Michel, who was extradited from Dubai, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 22 last year.

The court had earlier imposed restrictions on Michel meeting his lawyers while he was in the ED’S custody, after the agency said he was misusing the legal access by passing chits to his lawyers, asking them how to tackle questions on “Mrs Gandhi”.

The ED’S counsels, DP Singh and NK Matta, had also claimed that during questioning, Michel had spoken about the “son of an Italian lady” and how he was going to become the next prime minister of the country.

“We also need to decipher who is the ‘big man’ referred to as ‘R’ in the communications between Michel and other people,” the ED had told the court. On January 5, Michel was sent to judicial custody in the ED case. He is also lodged in judicial custody in the CBI case related to the scam.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

The ED, in its chargesheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he had received 30 million euros (about ~225 crore) from Agustawestland.

THE PETITION SEEKS TO DECLARE THE PASSPORT (ENTRY INTO INDIA) AMENDMENT RULES, AND FOREIGNERS (AMENDMENT) ORDER AS DISCRIMINATORY, ARBITRARY AND ILLEGAL SPECIAL JUDGE ARVIND KUMAR GRANTED CHRISTIAN MICHEL 15 MINUTES A WEEK TO MAKE INTERNATIONAL CALLS