CAB 'completely unconstitutional', headed towards SC: Cong's Manish Tewari

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is "completely unconstitutional" and is headed towards the Supreme Court, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said on Thursday. Completing the legislative process for giving Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the contentious bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha had cleared it on Monday.

"It is definitely being challenged and I personally know of at least 10 different groups in the northeast who have approached our law offices to challenge the bill. It is headed to the Supreme Court," Tewari, who is also a senior lawyer, told PTI. "It is completely unconstitutional and is headed towards the court, so therefore it is immaterial who challenges it," he said in response to a question on whether the Congress would challenge it in the Supreme Court.

Going by constitutional law, the bill should not stand even for a single day, Tewari added. "The protests in the Northeast are evidence of the fact that there is no support for this regressive legislation," he said.

Several senior Congress leaders had indicated on Wednesday that the party may move court against the bill. Abhishek Singhvi said the legislation will be legally challenged in the near future as it is "highly suspect" in terms of constitutionality. As many as 125 MPs voted in favour of the bill in the Upper House and 99 against it.

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