Citizenship Amendment Act: Supreme Court agrees to hear plea once violence stops

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will not take suo motu cognizance of the petition filed against protests in Delhi until "violence and destruction of public properties" stops.

"Let the rioting stop. Public property is being destroyed. The court can`t do anything right now. We will determine the rights but not in the atmosphere of riots. Let this stop and then we will take suo motu cognizance. If protests violence and destruction of public properties continues, we will not hear it. Come back tomorrow," a bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde was quoted as saying. 

The matter came up for hearing against the backdrop of violent protests in Delhi`s Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University yesterday over newly enacted Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Mentioning the matter before the bench, senior advocate Indira Jaising requested the apex court to take suo motu cognizance of violence.

"Human right violence is taking place all over the country. No one can stop the peaceful protest in this country. Hundreds of students injured, buses are burnt by the police and blame is being put on students," she said.

On these contentions, the Chief Justice Bobde said the law and order situation should be handled by the police.

"Just because they happen to be students, it doesn`t mean they can take law and order in their own hands. This has to be decided when things cool down. This is not the frame of mind when we can decide anything. We will take cognizance, but let this stop. We will see what we can do. First, we want to assure that there is peace," CJI Bobde said.

He, however, clarified that the court is "not against rights and peaceful demonstration" by the protesters.

The Act provides citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who faced religious persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014. 

(With inputs from ANI)