The Supreme Court’s refusal to stay the Constitution (Amendment) Act came as a surprise. It was even more baffling that the apex court gave the Central government four weeks to give its reply. One is at a loss to understand why the court took this long a time to hear the petitions if it only had to consider referring the issue to a larger Bench. With the people of the country, particularly the Muslims, still reeling from the shock of the court’s Ayodhya verdict, its refusal to stay the CAA even temporarily has added insult to injury. It is alleged that some BJP-ruled States like Uttar Pradesh have already started acting on the CAA. Giving a verdict after all the damage has been done will not be of much use.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
