The Supreme Court on Monday has kept a PIL challenging the Passport (Entry into India) Amendment Rules 2015, the Foreigners (Amendment) Order 2015 pending until the Parliament decides on the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the petition challenges the government order exempting persons belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, namely, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution on or before December 31, 2014 from the application of provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946.
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Such persons may be without valid documents or with expired documents, including passport or other travel documents, as exempted under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 by the impugned subordinate legislation.
The apex court said that the notifications will become unnecessary if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha.
The court asked the petitioner to raise the issue at an appropriate time.
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During the hearing on Monday, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said that if the Bill is not passed by the Rajya Sabha then the petition can be entertained.
The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8 and stalled by the Rajya Sabha on January 9.
The protest against the Citizenship Bill is growing bigger and fiercer with each passing day not only in Assam but also in other states across the country.