In a landmark ruling, the Indian Supreme Court has declared Section 6A of the Citizenship Act of 1955 to be unconstitutional. Justice J.B. Pardiwala, in his dissenting opinion, stated that the open-ended nature of the section has led to increased abuse and misuse, as immigrants are now able to use forged documents to falsely claim eligibility. The judge further emphasized that the lack of a temporal limit on the section's application only adds to its counter-productivity. As a result, Justice Pardiwala has declared that the section should be declared invalid with prospective effect.
The Supreme Court expressed its concern over the handling of a female doctor's rape and murder case by the Kolkata Police, calling their delay in registering the case as "extremely disturbing." The court also urged protesting doctors to return to work, assuring them of no adverse action upon their return. The court has ordered the officer in charge of the initial entry to appear at the next hearing and disclose the time of the entry. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also informed the court that the FIR was shockingly registered after the postmortem and cremation of the doctor.
The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Central and Assam government regarding a plea challenging the recently notified citizenship amendment rules. The rules aim to regulate the process of granting citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. A lawyer representing petitioner Hiren Gohain, a respected intellectual from Assam, presented arguments to the bench consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala. The petition asserts that the unchecked influx of illegal migrants into Assam has led to indigenous people becoming a minority in their own land.