SHILLONG: The North East Students Organisation (NESO) has filed a writ petition in Supreme Court seeking a stay of the operation and implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The 55 page writ petition stated that it has a good prima facie case as the Act (especially sections 2, 3, 5 and 6) is unreasonable, arbitrary, illegal and thus, violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

It was also submitted that the Act has been passed under extraneous political considerations and is in derogation of the rights of Indian citizens living in India, and especially the Northeastern part of the country.

According to the petition, the Act is not in public interest and welfare.

The result of the Act will be that a large number of non-Indians, who have surreptitiously entered India, without possession of valid passport, travel documents or other lawful authority to do so, will be able to take citizenship and reside therein.

The petitioner submitted that the Act seeks to do away with any sort of regulation for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christian foreigners entering India illegally from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“The balance of convenience lies in favour of the petitioner and irreparable harm and injury will be caused to the petitioner if interim reliefs as prayed for are not granted. On the other hand, no prejudice would be caused to the respondents herein if such relief is granted,” the petition said.

The lawyer for the petitioner is T Mahipal.

As per media reports, the Supreme Court has said, it will hear on Wednesday pleas of the Congress and former Maharaja of Tripura Pradyot Kishor Deb Barman challenging constitutional validity of the CAA.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said, it will hear the pleas along with other pending matters.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned for urgent listing the two pleas and said the petitions should also be heard along with a similar plea filed by the Indian Union Muslim League listed for hearing on December 18.