SC to hear pleas against Section 6A of the Citizenship Act from Nov 7

The Supreme Court will hear a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 from November 7. The pleas against Section 6A primarily challenge provisions of the Assam Accord which formed the basis of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, published in 2019.

Earlier, the matter was listed for hearing on October 17. However, since next week is a miscellaneous week in the top court the matter will now be heard after the Diwali break. In September, a five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud passed procedural directions in the batch of petitions challenging Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955. In January, the apex court observed that the primary question in the case was “whether Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 suffers from any constitutional infirmity.”