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| Citizenship Amendment Act: India top court to hear petitions in January | Citizenship Amendment Act: India top court to hear petitions in January |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| India's Supreme Court has said it will take up a clutch of petitions against a new citizenship law next month, as anger against it grows. | India's Supreme Court has said it will take up a clutch of petitions against a new citizenship law next month, as anger against it grows. |
| The court told the federal government to prepare a response to the petitions, but the law has not been stayed. | |
| The decision comes even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted with defiance to widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). | The decision comes even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted with defiance to widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). |
| The law offers citizenship to non-Muslims from three nearby countries. | The law offers citizenship to non-Muslims from three nearby countries. |
| The government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says it will protect people from persecution, but critics say it's part of a "Hindu nationalist" agenda to marginalise India's more than 200 million Muslims. | The government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says it will protect people from persecution, but critics say it's part of a "Hindu nationalist" agenda to marginalise India's more than 200 million Muslims. |
| Adding to the fears is a government announcement that it plans to carry out a widespread exercise to weed out "infiltrators" from neighbouring countries. | Adding to the fears is a government announcement that it plans to carry out a widespread exercise to weed out "infiltrators" from neighbouring countries. |
| Given that the exercise relies on extensive documentation to prove that their ancestors lived in India, many Muslim citizens fear that they could be made stateless. | Given that the exercise relies on extensive documentation to prove that their ancestors lived in India, many Muslim citizens fear that they could be made stateless. |
| However, Mr Modi said the law "will have no effect on citizens of India, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Buddhists". | However, Mr Modi said the law "will have no effect on citizens of India, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Buddhists". |
| The prime minister also told his supporters at a rally on Tuesday that the opposition was "spreading lies and rumours", "instigating violence" and "used its full force to create an atmosphere of illusion and falsehood". | The prime minister also told his supporters at a rally on Tuesday that the opposition was "spreading lies and rumours", "instigating violence" and "used its full force to create an atmosphere of illusion and falsehood". |
| Home Minister Amit Shah echoed the sentiment to media saying "both my government and I are firm like a rock that we will not budge or go back on the citizenship protests". | Home Minister Amit Shah echoed the sentiment to media saying "both my government and I are firm like a rock that we will not budge or go back on the citizenship protests". |
| Who is protesting and why? | Who is protesting and why? |
| There have been demonstrations in cities across India. | There have been demonstrations in cities across India. |
| Opponents say the law is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in the constitution. They say faith should not be made a condition of citizenship. | Opponents say the law is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in the constitution. They say faith should not be made a condition of citizenship. |
| Others though - particularly in border states - fear being "overrun" by new arrivals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. | Others though - particularly in border states - fear being "overrun" by new arrivals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. |
| Many of the student demonstrations focus less on the law itself but more on the alleged police brutality against protesters. | Many of the student demonstrations focus less on the law itself but more on the alleged police brutality against protesters. |
| The capital Delhi has seen mass protest over the past days after a student protest on Sunday turned violent and left dozens injured. | The capital Delhi has seen mass protest over the past days after a student protest on Sunday turned violent and left dozens injured. |
| How violent are the protests? | How violent are the protests? |
| On Tuesday, images from the city's Seelampur area, which has a strong Muslim population, showed stone-throwing crowds confronting police officers. Police retaliated with tear gas and batons. | On Tuesday, images from the city's Seelampur area, which has a strong Muslim population, showed stone-throwing crowds confronting police officers. Police retaliated with tear gas and batons. |
| Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refused to hear a petition against the police action inside Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University, where on Sunday they allegedly attacked students inside campus premises. | Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refused to hear a petition against the police action inside Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University, where on Sunday they allegedly attacked students inside campus premises. |
| A man injured during the protests on that day told the BBC he saw police shoot at him with a pistol or revolver. | A man injured during the protests on that day told the BBC he saw police shoot at him with a pistol or revolver. |
| Authorities deny police used live ammunition and have suggested the wounds might be from shrapnel from tear gas canisters. | Authorities deny police used live ammunition and have suggested the wounds might be from shrapnel from tear gas canisters. |
| Earlier this week, Mr Modi had attempted to calm tensions in a series of tweets saying "this is the time to maintain peace, unity and brotherhood". | Earlier this week, Mr Modi had attempted to calm tensions in a series of tweets saying "this is the time to maintain peace, unity and brotherhood". |
| What is the law about? | What is the law about? |
| The Act offers amnesty to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from three countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. | |
| It amends India's 64-year-old citizenship law, which currently prohibits illegal migrants from becoming Indian citizens. | It amends India's 64-year-old citizenship law, which currently prohibits illegal migrants from becoming Indian citizens. |
| It also expedites the path to Indian citizenship for members of six religious minority communities - Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian - if they can prove that they are from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. They will now only have to live or work in India for six years - instead of 11 years - before becoming eligible to apply for citizenship. | It also expedites the path to Indian citizenship for members of six religious minority communities - Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian - if they can prove that they are from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. They will now only have to live or work in India for six years - instead of 11 years - before becoming eligible to apply for citizenship. |
| The government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says this will give sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution. | The government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says this will give sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution. |
| Critics though say its actual agenda is to marginalise India's 200-million strong Muslim minority. | Critics though say its actual agenda is to marginalise India's 200-million strong Muslim minority. |
| The fears are compounded by the fact that the government has announced its intentions of carrying out a nationwide exercise that will seek to "weed out infiltrators". | The fears are compounded by the fact that the government has announced its intentions of carrying out a nationwide exercise that will seek to "weed out infiltrators". |
| Home Minister Amit Shah proposed a nationwide register of citizens to ensure that "each and every infiltrator is identified and expelled from India" by 2024. | Home Minister Amit Shah proposed a nationwide register of citizens to ensure that "each and every infiltrator is identified and expelled from India" by 2024. |
| The National Citizen's Register (NRC) has already been carried out in the north-eastern state Assam and saw 1.9 million people effectively made stateless. | The National Citizen's Register (NRC) has already been carried out in the north-eastern state Assam and saw 1.9 million people effectively made stateless. |
| In the run-up to its publication, India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had supported the NRC, but changed tack days before the final list was published, saying it was ridden with errors. | In the run-up to its publication, India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had supported the NRC, but changed tack days before the final list was published, saying it was ridden with errors. |
| The reason was that a lot of Bengali Hindus - a strong voter base for the BJP - were also left out of the list, and would possibly become illegal immigrants. | The reason was that a lot of Bengali Hindus - a strong voter base for the BJP - were also left out of the list, and would possibly become illegal immigrants. |
| However, the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act are closely linked as the latter will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment. | However, the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act are closely linked as the latter will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment. |