SC upholds the validity of Sec 6A of Citizenship Act

4:1 verdict holds provision as valid law; Justice Pardiwala dissents

- SUCHITRA KALYAN MOHANTY

THE Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which grants Indian citizenship to immigrants from Bangladesh who entered Assam before the cut-off date of March 25, 1971.

"Parliament had the legislative competence to enact it," the five-judge Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, ruled in a 4:1 majority verdict.

While the CJI and Justices Surya Kant, M M Sundresh, and Manoj Misra upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A, Justice JB Pardiwala dissented and quashed Section 6A prospectively.