North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India challenging the Rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) and sought for a stay on its implementation.

The Government of India announced the implementation of CAA Rules on 11th March 2024. The Act enables persecuted non-Muslim religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who arrived in India by 2014 to attain Indian citizenship. The eligible minorities were stated as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians.

A staunch opposer of CAA, NESO had filed earlier filed a petition with the Supreme Court on 19th December 2019.

In a press release, NESO Chairman Samuel B Jyrwa stated that although the Act is exempted from the areas covered by the Inner Line Permit system (ILP) and Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, the other areas where CAA 2019 is still applicable “poses a serious threat to the entire North Eastern states which will be adversely affected in the near future.”

“So to protest the microscopic, indigenous communities of NE which is already affected by unabated influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, it is imperative that the CAA 2019 shall not be made applicable as it will only worsen the already precarious situation of the North Eastern region”, Jyrwa stated.

Today, the Supreme Court will be hearing pleas to stay the CAA 2019 and CAA Rules 2024 from several parties including All Assam Students Union (AASU), Indian Union Muslim League, the State of Kerala, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, etc.