CAA Rules: Kerala Govt asks AG to initiate legal proceedings, Chennithala approaches SC

“As the Central government has proceeded with the notification of rules under the CAA, the state is preparing for additional legal action through the Supreme Court,” it added.

The chief minister had earlier stated that the CAA would not be enforced in Kerala.

Also Read: Opposition misunderstood CAA’s spirit and intent, says Shah

Chennithala approaches Supreme Court

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court with a writ petition to declare CAA unconstitutional.

Chennithala, in his writ petition, said the CAA rules created a highly truncated and fast-tracked process for the grant of citizenship, and it was the Central government that would decide on it.

“CAA discriminates based on religion. It strikes at the root of the concept of secularism, which is the basic structure of the Constitution. It also violates Articles 14, 21, 25, and 51 of the Indian Constitution, as well as India’s obligations under international law. Thus, it is prima facie unconstitutional,” said Chennithala in his petition.

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday staged a dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan against the CAA rules notification.

Talking on the occasion, KPCC acting president MM Hassan said that the party would fight against the CAA both politically and legally.

The CAA, which was passed in Parliament in December 2019, came into force in January 2020, and on Monday, without any prior announcement, the Union government notified the rules, which were framed by the Committees on Subordinate Legislation, the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha.

The law grants Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan — namely Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians. The list, however, excludes Muslims.

(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)