Final hearing against CAA from May 5

Supreme Court will commence the final hearing of pleas challenging the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and its rules on May 5.

A three-member bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi said that petitions challenging CAA are categorised in two groups, Assam-Tripura and the rest of the country.

"The nodal counsels appointed will identify the matters falling in first and second group and the list shall be submitted to the registry in two weeks. Registry shall thereafter segregate in two categories and the same shall be listed for final hearing in the week commencing May 5, 2026," the bench ordered. It directed that petitioners shall be heard on the first half of May 5 and another half of May 6, then a half day on May 7 will be for respondents, with rejoinder on May 12. Over 200 petitions have been filed against CAA, which was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019. It received the President's assent the next day.


Requesting the Supreme Court to dismiss the pleas, the Centre in 2022 had said that the Act did not in any way encourage illegal migration into Assam and described the apprehensions raised in the pleas as "unfounded".