Around 150 lawyers of Bengaluru-based lawyers and law students under the banner of Bengaluru Advocates and Law Students held a protest on Thursday evening at the Karnataka High Court against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act.
They also raised their objection to the proposed National Register of Citizens, which has been implemented in Assam, and the National Population Register.
The lawyers carrying placards marched around the HC premises as they shouted slogans against the CAA-NRC and the NPR. They hailed the Constitutions and said they will safeguard the secular values of this democracy. After reading the Preamble of the Constitution, they shouted slogans of “Azadi." They also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speaking with TNM, VR Tatar, a senior lawyer, said, “Citizenship can be based on birth or domicile but not based on religious exclusion. Citizenship based on religion is unconstitutional and that violates Article 14 of our constitution. Several petitions are filed against CAA and NPR in the Supreme Court, and tomorrow the first petition is listed and it'll be seen through by them.”
BG Sathiyashree, General Secretary of Bangalore Advocate Literary Union said, “This (CAA) is such unconstitutional decision creates communal tension. Political agenda and religious preferences are the basis for such unacceptable governance. But the law is common to one and all and right now, it has the supreme power to intervene and dictate decisions. Let's wait and see what the Supreme Court has to say.