New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday announced that it will begin final hearings on more than 200 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) from May 5, 2026.
The petitions include the lead plea filed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), along with several other challenges that have been pending since 2019–2020, following widespread protests across the country after the law was enacted.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi issued procedural directions for the hearings, stating that arguments will be heard between May 5 and May 12, 2026, with the matter scheduled to conclude on the final day.
Under the schedule laid out by the court, the petitioners will be granted one and a half days to present their arguments, while the Union government will be given one full day to respond. The bench has also directed all parties to file additional documents and written submissions within four weeks.
The court clarified that it will first hear petitions concerning the pan-India application of the CAA, followed by cases specific to Assam and Tripura. The bench noted that Assam presents a unique situation, as the original citizenship cut-off date under the Assam Accord was March 24, 1971, which was later extended to December 31, 2014 under the CAA.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to undocumented migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain, and Parsi communities who migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.
In March 2024, the Supreme Court had declined to stay the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, despite pleas from petitioners seeking to halt the law’s operation until a final verdict. Shortly thereafter, on March 11, 2024, the Union government notified the rules, paving the way for the implementation of the CAA nearly four years after it was passed by Parliament.
The upcoming hearings are expected to be a crucial legal test for one of India’s most controversial legislations in recent years.