JORHAT: The All Tai Ahom Students’ Union has challenged the presidential order to amend the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) of 1873 in the Supreme Court, calling it a “politically motivated” step to deny Assam an inner-line permit system to insulate it against the new citizenship law. “We have filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court against the order of the President, dated December 11, 2019, to amend the BEFR. This is against the Constitution , unsustainable and liable to be set aside,” the student union said on Monday.“The President passed the order for amendment under Article 372 (2) of the Constitution, although as per Article 372 (3), he has the power to do so for only three years from the date of enactment of the Constitution, i.e, till 1953,” the union claimed.On December 24, an official release announced that the Union cabinet had given its ex-post facto approval to the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, issued by the President under Clause (2) of Article 372 of the Constitution to amend the BEFR.The union accused the Centre of getting this done “to impose the CAA in Assam.” “According to the BEFR, 27 districts of Assam are under the purview of the BEFR and entitled to get an inner-line permit system. The Centre intentionally removed the provision to implement an inner-line permit system in Assam so that it could impose CAA. We oppose this order and, therefore, filed a writ petition challenging it in the Supreme Court on February 13. We have placed strong belief in the judiciary and are hopeful of getting justice,” the student union said.