News18 Daybreak I Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Land Dispute Case to be Heard by Constitution Bench Today and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For
The Supreme Court will start hearing the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid land title dispute case today (January 10). The matter will come up before a five-member Constitution bench that was set up by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on January 8. The bench will hear the case at 10:30 am in the CJI's court.
The five-member Constitution bench comprise CJI Gogoi, and Justices SA Bobde, NV Ramana, UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud. Today, the court is expected to decide the ti¬¬ meline and nature of hearings in the case.
The hearing gains significance because various right-wing organisations like the Visva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, along with the Shiv Sena and many Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have been demanding that the Narendra Modi government to bring in an ordinance or legislate a bill to facilitate construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Many of them gone to the extent of giving an ultimatum, failing which, they threaten to launch a nation-wide protest.
On his part, the prime minister during a televised interview on January 1 told news agency ANI that his government will wait for the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict in the Ram mandir case. He said his government does not intend to bring in an ordinance before the court's verdict.
"Let the judicial process take its own course. Don't weigh it in political terms. Let the judicial process be over. After the judicial process is over, whatever be our responsibility as government, we are ready to make all efforts," the prime minister had said during the interview.
On September 27 last year, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court was faced with a question whether the court should revisit a 1994 judgment that held that a mosque is not an integral part of Islam. By a majority of 2:1, the bench held that the 1994 verdict is sound and need not be revisited by a Constitution bench of the court.
The verdict of the three-member bench in September last year was important as it directly affects the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri masjid land title dispute case. Had the bench held that the 1994 verdict needs to revisited, the Supreme Court would first settle the moot question on the status and relevance of a mosque in Islam. Only then could the present case proceed.
14 appeals before SC
As many as 14 appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
Selection panel to meet today to discuss CVC report against Alok Verma
A day after the Supreme Court reinstated Alok Verma as the Central Bureau of Investigation chief, a selection panel is set to meet today to discuss the Central Vigilance Commission’s (CVC) report on the bribery and graft charges against him. Verma was sent on forced leave by the Centre in November last year, following a feud with his deputy, Special Director Rakesh Asthana who he accused of accepting bribes from a businessman. Asthana, in return, charged Verma with similar acts of corruption following which the apex court ordered a CVC inquiry. The selection committee looking into the matter now, comprises of PM Narendra Modi, leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice A.K. Sikri.
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I: The Modi government’s bid to provide 10% quota for the economically weak crossed an important hurdle on Wednesday with the Rajya Sabha approving the bill with a margin of 165-7, a day after the Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation 323-3. With the parliamentary process complete, the law can now be notified by the President.
There were no surprises as the Upper House voted on the 124th constitutional amendment bill at 10.20pm after close to 10 hours of debate in which more than 40 members participated.
Barring the opposition of DMK and IUML, other political parties supported the bill even as the opposition accused the government of acting with an eye on the elections and raised questions over its constitutional validity.
The amendments moved by DMK and a few other parties were rejected by an overwhelming majority.
. The passing of the constitutional amendment by the Rajya Sabha marks a remarkably swift conclusion to the parliamentary p¬¬rocess with the bill being cleared by the Cabinet just two days ago.
Billed by the government as a move to help the less well-off among the sections ineligible for reservation, the legislation seeks to break new ground by amending the Constitution to provide for quotas on the basis of economic deprivation apart from the criteria of social and educational backwardness.
Countering the opposition’s charge that there were inadequate employment opportunities,¬¬ law minister Prasad cited avenues created as a result of Digital India, road construction projects and housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana.
The Indra Sawhney vs Union of India verdict was also referred to by opposition parties when the 124th Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Indra Sawhney became a household name in 1992 after her challenge to Narasimha Rao’s forward quota move led the Supreme Court to impose a 50% cap on caste-based reservations.
History may now repeat itself with the senior advocate mulling a challenge to the Narendra Modi government’s pre-poll move to grant 10% reservation to ‘economically weaker’ sections in the general category. A Constitution Amendment Bill to the effect was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, and has been tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Speaking to News18, Sawhney said the move will only result in “deserving candidates in general category losing out on opportunities.”
“This bill will be challenged in court. Let me think it over if I want to file a petition challenging this constitutional amendment. But this bill will take the ceiling to 60% and deserving candidates in the open category will be left out. Hence, the amendment will be struck down,” she said
The quota for those who are not members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the backward classes is also a first in that it covers all religious denominations such as Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis. Among Hindu communities, it covers castes such as Jats, Marathas and Gujjars, seen as “intermediate castes” as also forwards like Brahmins, Rajputs and Banias
Naveen Patnaik quashes alliance hopes, Mahagathbandhan no longer in the horizon for BJD
Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that he will not be joining the grand opposition alliance. Patnaik’s decision came at a time when several parties including the Congress, Bihar’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress, UP’s Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party and Telangana’s Telangana Rashtriya Samiti are forging alliances for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Odisha CM however, chose to remain distant from the possibility of an alliance despite being critical of the Modi government’s policies in regard to the farmers.
BCCI expected to take action barring cricketers from making appearances after Pandya’s sexist comments
Cricketer Hardik Pandya on Wednesday offered his "regrets" in response to the comments on women he made in the show ‘Koffee with Karan’ which sparked a massive outrage. Pandya was slammed for the 'misogynistic', 'sexist', and 'racist' remarks that he made in the episode. What is interesting however, is that this might prompt the Board of Control for Cricket in India to bar players from making such appearances.