In two major developments in India’s political landscape, the Modi government implemented the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, and the Supreme Court gave a day’s ultimatum to the State Bank of India on Monday for furnishing details of electoral bonds donors. 

Both news made it to the front pages of most dailies. But which made top news? 

The CAA, which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to “persecuted” Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, excluding Muslims and atheists, was the front-page lead of the Delhi edition of The Indian Express and Times of India, and the Chennai edition of The New Indian Express. 

In contrast, the top court’s judgement in the electoral bonds case was the lead report on Hindustan Times and The Hindu.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph’s Kolkata edition carried both the news in its front page lead package. 

First, The Indian Express. “No passport, no visa: Rules eased for seeking citizenship under CAA” read the headline of the page one package, with a slug that said “PM delivered on commitment: Shah”. The headline of the package’s second article said “Opposition-ruled states say bid to polarise polls, will oppose”. 

“The rules, which pave the way for implementation of the CAA, state that ‘any document’ that shows one of the parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents of the applicant was from one of these countries would suffice to prove their nationality. And instead of a visa, even a certificate issued by an elected member of a local body would be enough,” read the report, adding that the state governments would have limited participation in the process. 

The newspaper also carried two explainers in the inner pages titled “With CAA, Modi govt underlines: Delivered all that we promised” and “CAA: issues in the legal challenge to the citizenship law”.   

The report on SC’s verdict in the electoral bonds case was the third lead on the front-page. It said, “In fact, it [Supreme Court] quizzed the SBI on the steps taken till date subsequent to the February 15 order.”

The Telegraph pulled off a balancing act with both the news in its page one lead package, which was titled “Poll oven in pre-heat mode”. The first headline read “AM: Cough up electoral bond details sans delay: SC to SBI”, and the report cited the top court as saying that “there should be some candour from your [SBI] side”.  

The second report in the package was titled “PM: Centre unsheathes contentious CAA rules. It carried a “factsheet” on the CAA, which mentioned the law had triggered protests “as many feared that coupled with the planned countrywide National Register for Citizens (NRC), it would result in lakhs of Muslims losing their citizenship”. 

The Times of India’s page lead was titled “4 years after Parliament passage and ahead of polls, government notifies CAA rules”. The report highlighted the key changes in the law including the reduction in length of residency in India for qualifying for Indian citizenship from 11  years to five years. 

The law exempts “tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura” and “areas regulated through Inner Line Permit”, said the report. It also carried the response of several chief ministers, including Tamil Nadu’s MK Stalin, who said “Modi seeks to salvage his sinking ship by cynically resurrecting CAA, exploiting religious sentiments for political gain”.   

The newspaper also carried a detailed explainer on “What changes now that CAA rules are notified”. 

The report on SC’s verdict refusing the SBI’s plea for more time to submit electoral bond information was on the front flap of the newspaper. It said the top court has warned against “wilful disobedience” and that the SBI’s shares fell by two percent.

The lead report on The New Indian Express’s Chennai edition was titled “CAA in play before general elections as government notifies rules”. It carried a graph titled “walking the talk”, detailing the timeline of the law, starting in 2019, when it was enacted.     

A report in the inside pages quoted opposition leaders as saying that CAA is a bid to polarise Lok Sabha elections. 

The SC verdict was the second lead, titled “SBI info to ECI won’t say who gave what to whom”. It cited CJI DY Chandrachud as saying that the information on electoral bonds is “readily available” with the SBI.

Meanwhile, the lead news on Hindustan Times was headlined: “SC gives one day to SBI to furnish poll data”. It said SBI has been warned of “contempt action”.

The second page carried a lead report on the CAA. “Govt notifies CAA rules in big pre-poll decision”, read the title of the report which detailed the 39-page notification. It said the applicant must prove they entered before December 31, 2014 and that the applicant or either of their parents was a citizen of India.

A report on the CAA in the inside pages was headlined, “Opposition questions timing of CAA rules notification; BJP hails PM”. 

The Hindu’s page one lead was titled “SC firm, tells SBI to share poll bond details today”. It quoted CJI Chandrachud, “We asked you to do a plain disclosure. We did not tell you to match the details. You simply need to comply with our February 15 judgement.”

A report at the bottom of the page was headlined “Union Home Ministry notifies CAA rules ahead of Lok Sabha election”, along with a picture of a protest against the law by left activists in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.

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