The Supreme Court on Thursday denied an urgent hearing on a petition, filed by lawyer Vineet Dhanda, seeking to declare the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) constitutional.
Dhanda, in his plea also urged the Apex Court to direct the states to implement the Act.
The SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde and also having Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant, expressed dismay over the plea.
Bobde, further said it was for the first time someone approached the court demanding to declare an Act as constitutional.
“This is court’s job is to determine the validity of a law and not declare it as constitutional,” the bench said.
“The country is going through a critical time; the endeavour must be to bring peace and such petitions don’t help,” the bench added.
In his plea, Dhanda had also sought strict legal action against the anti-CAA protesters and the media houses as they were “spreading rumours” and “disturbing peace and harmony over CAA”.
“The court will take up pleas challenging the validity of law when violence over it ends,” the bench told Dhanda.