Amidst growing pressure from the international community criticising the Indian government's Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, comes an unprecedented move by the United Nations’ global human rights body.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, former Chile President Michelle Bachelet, has approached the Supreme Court in India over "the exclusions of persons… on the basis of their religion."
The plea also requests that the High Commissioner be made party in a case against the law that is being heard by the Supreme Court.
India’s External Affairs Ministry responded with a sharp statement with spokesperson Raveesh Kumar saying that the CAA remains an “internal matter” and that "no foreign party had any locus standi on issues pertaining to India's sovereignty".
The MEA also said that the CAA is "constitutionally valid" and is “reflective of our long-standing national commitment in respect of human rights issues arising from the tragedy of the Partition of India."
The Supreme Court is currently hearing 143 petitions challenging the legal validity of the CAA.
