'Our hope lies with SC': Shaheen Bagh protesters ahead of CAA hearing

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'Our hope lies with SC': Shaheen Bagh protesters ahead of CAA hearing

No serious effort has been made by the govt to persuade the activists to end their protest

Monday January 20, 2020 9:37 PM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

[Image tweeted by Stuti @StuteeMishra]

New Delhi: The Shaheen Bagh protest entered 37th day here on Monday as protestors are not willing to quit without a concrete result on the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Except appeals by some low-rung police officers, no serious effort has been made to persuade the activists to leave the spot. The number of protestors is swelling as people talk of the January 22 apex court hearing and are gearing up to withstand the odds till then.

"We will not go back an inch. We are getting an unprecedented support and look towards the apex court with hope," said Mohd Ehtesham, a protestor.

The Delhi High Court had refused to intervene on the issue of removal of protestors and the onus was on the administration, said Mehmood Pracha, a lawyer.

"The fight is not only about the CAA, but to save the Constitution. The government design is mischievous and it's also targeting Dalits," Pracha said.

On the important role of the judiciary, former Union Minister and a noted lawyer Salman Khurshid said on social media, "One hopes the Supreme Court will be able to find a solution that balances the competing aspirations within the federal structure and constitutional morality, keeping in mind the conventions that need to be respected. Of course, the Supreme Court judgment will be the last word till a future Parliament chooses to reverse it."

"January 22 could be a big day for the people who are against the draconian and divisive CAA," said Zulqarnain, who has been participating in the protest site from day one.

Besides Shaheen Bagh, protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) is being held more than 50 locations across India. Prominent among them are Park Circus in Kolkata, Clock Tower in Lucknow, Mansoor Ali Khan Park in Prayagraj and a number of other prominent places in Jalgaon, Dhule, Malegaon, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Patna, Mumbai, Nagpur, Bhiwandi, Begusarai, Akola, Jaipur, Mewat, Maler Kotla, Bhopal and Aurangabad.

Protests erupeted across India ever since the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed in the Parliament of December 11 and became a law on December 12. Despite unprecendented protests continuing for over a month and pending hearing in SC on a bunch of petitions against it, Modi government announced its implementation on January 10, 2020.

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