New Delhi: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has filed an intervention in the Supreme Court on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and informed India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva about it, the Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday.
The MEA asserted that the CAA is an internal matter of India and concerns the sovereign right of the Indian Parliament to make laws.
“Our Permanent Mission in Geneva was informed yesterday evening by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Michelle Bachelet) that her office had filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court of India with respect to the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act,” MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
“We strongly believe that no foreign party has any locus standi on issues pertaining to India’s sovereignty,” he said.
India is clear that the CAA is constitutionally valid and complies with all requirements of its constitutional values, Kumar said.
“It is reflective of our long-standing national commitment in respect of human rights issues arising from the tragedy of the Partition of India,” he said.
“India is a democratic country governed by the rule of law. We all have the utmost respect for and full trust in our independent judiciary. We are confident that our sound and legally sustainable position will be vindicated by the Supreme Court,” he said.
In January, the court, hearing a massive 143 petitions challenging the legal validity of the CAA, declined to put the law on hold and, instead, gave the Centre four weeks to respond.
It can be recalled that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday voiced “great concern” over India’s amended citizenship law and reports of “police inaction” in the face of communal attacks in Delhi, urging political leaders to prevent violence.
(with inputs from PTI)
