India

New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said the nationwide protests against the amended citizenship law reflected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were a "drag on Indian democracy".

Sibal's comments come after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had on Monday lowered India's economic growth estimate for the current fiscal to 4.8 per cent and listed the country's much-lower-than-expected GDP numbers as the single-biggest drag on its global growth forecast for two years.

Mumbai, Jan 21 (PTI) A 32-year-old woman was allegedly raped by four persons near a railway track in suburban Kurla, a police official said on Tuesday.

All the accused have been arrested, he said.

Lucknow, Jan 21 (PTI) Attacking the opposition for "misleading" people on the Citizenship Amendment Act, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the law will not be scrapped despite the protests over it.

Addressing a rally here in support of the CAA, Shah also declared that construction of a Ram temple touching the skies in Ayodhya will begin within three months.

He said there is no provision in the amended law for taking anyone's citizenship away. A canard is being spread against the CAA by the Congress, SP, BSP, and Trinamool Congress.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has been embroiled in protests since December, when Parliament passed a bill amending the country’s citizenship law. The new law provides a fast track to naturalization for some migrants who entered the country illegally while fleeing religious persecution. But it excludes Muslims, which critics say is discriminatory and a violation of India’s Constitution. Here’s a brief look at how India has grappled with citizenship:

IT STARTED WITH PARTITION

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 20 (PTI) The Left front government in Kerala on Monday decided to inform the Centre it would not cooperate with the updation of the NPR, saying there were fears among the public about the process and it has the "Constitutional responsibility" to alleviate them and ensure law and order.

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday rejected the plea of a death row convict in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case challenging the Delhi High Court order which had dismissed his claim of being a juvenile at the time of commission of offence.

A bench comprising Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bushan and A S Bopanna dismissed the plea of the death row convict, Pawan Kumar Gupta, and upheld the Delhi High Court verdict.

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Uttar Pradesh government on a PIL filed by Allahabad Heritage Society challenging renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant issued notice to the state.

The Centre had on January 1 last year approved renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj.

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Centre and the Election Commission on a plea seeking stay on the electoral bond scheme meant for funding political parties.

The top court, however, refused to grant an interim stay on the electoral bond scheme.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 19 (PTI) The CPI(M) will soon launch a nation-wide house-to-house campaign to explain to the people, the 'link' between CAA-NPR-NRC, party general secretary, Sitaram Yechury said on Sunday.

The intense campaign will take place all over the country, he said while briefing the media about the three-day central committee held at Vilapilsala near here.

Guwahati, Jan 19 (PTI) Assam Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said it is impossible for an immigrant to provide proof of religious persecution.

Sarma, who is also convenor of the NDA's regional wing North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), said that it is not possible for the person to go back to his country of origin and collect a copy of police report to show that he was subjected to religious persecution.