India's Supreme Court refuses to put Citizenship Amendment Act on hold

    India's Supreme Court has refused to put the implementation of The Citizenship Amendment Act on hold.

    The controversial citizenship law was passed in December last year, prompting outrage and protests across India as a result of an alleged bias against Muslims.

    The law offers citizenship to six religious minority groups fleeing persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

    Responding to widespread protests against the bill on Wednesday, India’s Supreme Court told the government to respond to several petitions challenging the law's constitutional validity.

    The petitions, that are set to be rejected, claim that the citizenship bill is illegal as it grants citizenship on the basis of religion, which goes against the values of the country’s constitution.

    The government have been given one moth to respond.

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