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An intervention has been filed in the Supreme Court by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act and has informed the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva regarding the same, as said by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday.

The intervention application that has been moved by the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights in the Supreme Court overt the Citizenship Amendment Act is said to mean that the global human rights body is wanting to be made a party in the pleas that are existing which have been filed in the Supreme Court against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

It has been asserted by the Ministry of External Affairs that the Citizenship Amendment Act is an internal matter of the country India and the concerns as well as the sovereign right of the Parliament of India in order to make laws.

Raveesh Kumar who is the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs has said that the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva has been informed by Michelle Bachelet who is the Commissioner for Human Rights that an intervention application has been filed by her office in the Supreme Court of India in respect to the Citizenship Amendment Act that has been passed by the government in India in the previous year 2019.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs has added saying that it has been strongly believed that no foreign party has any locus standi on the issues that pertain to the sovereignty of the country India.

Raveesh Kumar has said that the country India is clear regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act that it is constitutionally valid and that it would comply with all the requirements of the constitutional values that the Citizenship Amendment Act is surrounded with.

He has added saying that the Citizenship Amendment Act is a reflective of the national commitment in respect of the issues regarding the human rights that are arising from the tragedy of the Partition of India.

He said that India is a democratic country which is governed by the rule of law and that there exists utmost respect and complete trust in the independent judiciary of the country India.

“We are confident that our sound and legally sustainable position will be vindicated by the Supreme Court,” as said by Raveesh Kumar.

It has been said that the Supreme Court is currently hearing around 143 petitions that have been challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The Citizenship Amendment Act that has been passed by the government of India has been seeking to provide the citizenship of India to the non- Muslim communities like the Hindus, Christians, Buddists, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs from the three neighboring countries namely Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan who have been facing religious persecutions there and who have come to India on or before the 31st of December in the year 2014. This citizenship law has led to several protests across the country and also in the foreign countries with few groups supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act and the others opposing the citizenship law.

By Shrithika Kushangi