Citizenship Bill Clears Parliament, Soon To Be Law Amid Protests | Read
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill passed Parliament today after being cleared by the Rajya Sabha, with 125 voting for it and 99 against, even as violent protests erupted in several parts of the Northeast. The controversial legislation was cleared by the Lok Sabha two days earlier with the support of as many as 334 MPs. Tabled in both the houses by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the bill has been slammed by rights groups as well as opposition parties on the grounds that it "discriminates" against Muslim migrants and violates Article 14 of the Constitution. Opposition leaders, who claim that the bill can never survive "judicial scrutiny", are expected to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
