News18 Daybreak | SC Expected to Pass Order on Mediation in Ayodhya Case Today and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For
What to Watch Out For
SC expected to pass order on mediation in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case
Supreme Court is expected to pass an order on whether to refer the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case to a court-appointed mediator.
The bench is hearing appeals against the 2010 Allahabad verdict which had ordered that the land be split into three ways among the Nirmohi Akhara sect, Sunni Central Wakf Board, Uttar Pradesh, and Ramlalla Virajman.
The middle path: A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul in the February 26 hearing had given a week’s time to the parties to explore the possibility of settling the matter through an in-camera, court-monitored process of mediation.
“We are seriously thinking over giving mediation a try since the dispute is not about anybody’s private property… Even if there is 1 per cent chance of an amicable resolution, it should be given a try,” Justice S A Bobde said.
The petitioners in the case include Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and Sunni Waqf Board.
Mired in controversies: The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land issue has been mired in many controversies. Previously, the January 10 hearing was postponed as Justice UU Lalit, who was to be a part of the bench, recused himself after petitioners pointed out that he had been a lawyer for Kalyan Singh in a case related to contempt of court.
Kalyan Singh was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the Babri Masjid was demolished following severe rioting by right-wing groups.
Then the Centre on January 29 moved the apex court seeking its nod to return the area around the disputed site back to the original owners – the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas.
The Centre’s plea struck controversy as handing over of this ‘excess’ land around the site will incontrovertibly spell the possibility of curtailed access to the land.
The dispute over the land started in the 1980s and came to a head in 1992 when the riots allegedly led by right-wing groups in which the Babri Masjid was razed and 2000 people killed.
Top court to hear petitions against Rafale jet procurement
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear the petitions seeking a recall and review of its judgment giving a clean chit to the Modi government on acquiring 36 Rafale jet fighters in a ready-to-fly condition from French company Dassault Aviation. The top court had, on December 14, 2018, dismissed four petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the purchase of the jet fighters, saying the decision-making process was not in doubt and that it cannot go into the question of pricing and the choice of offset Indian partner by Dassault. The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph had on February 26 decided to hold an open court hearing of the pleas seeking the recall of its judgment on several grounds, including information that has come into public domain after its pronouncement.
What You May Have Missed
Pakistan bans Hafiz Saeed-led Jamat-ud-Dawa and charity arm FIF, two weeks after it said it did
Almost two weeks after announcing a ban on Jamat-ud-Dawa and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, Pakistan has formally banned the two groups led by 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Although the Pakistan had announced the bans on February 21, the two groups continued to be in the watch list, where they were placed in January 2017. This had prompted the Indian security agencies to call the ban an eyewash. "This implies that Pakistan has lied on the ban on Jud and FIF. In fact, it has just altered the date of the watch list placement to fool the world," a senior security official had said. The crackdown on JuD and FIF comes amid intense global pressure to act against terror groups operating in Pakistan following the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. Meanwhile, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's son and brother were among 44 members of the banned militant outfits arrested by authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Women officers to get permanent commission in all 10 branches of army: defence ministry
Women will be eligible for permanent careers in all 10 branches of the army where they have been inducted as short-service commissioned (SSC) officers, the defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Women officers were until now allowed permanent commission only in two branches - Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps. This, the defence ministry said, was in line with the steps taken after the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech. On August 15 last year, the PM had announced that women officers recruited under the short service commission in the armed forces will have the option of taking up permanent commission, which he described as a "gift" to the "brave daughters".
News18 Elections Lab: Renaming terror outfits and voter fraud in Andhra Pradesh
How naming and renaming keeps terror outfits up and running in Pakistan
Days after Pakistan banned JuD and FIF, both outfits underwent a name change, calling themselves “Al Madina” and “Aisar Foundation”, respectively, in order to remain active. In India, among the 41 terrorist outfits banned by the Home Ministry, almost half are allegedly either based in or sponsored by Pakistan. Among these, some are observed to have re-emerged with a new name. Read Ghazanfar Abbas’ report to find out more.
The curious case of voter fraud and duplicate voters in Andhra Pradesh
Last week, a 10-member team comprising officials from the Election Commission of India, led by former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi, reached Andhra Pradesh to audit the state voter list, following allegations by the YSRCP that about 59 lakh entries in the voters list are false. If the allegations are found to be true that would mean that about 16% of the total electorate in the state would constitute as ‘fake voters’. Read Rishika Pardikar’s report.
Matua Matriarch Binapani Devi dies at 100; PM Modi, CM Mamata Banerjee condole death
Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi, popularly known as ‘Boro Ma’ (elder mother), died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. She was 100. Devi headed the Matuas sect, a religious refugee community from Bangladesh. She was the widow of Pramath Ranjan Thakur (great-grandson of Harichand Thakur). Harichand Thakur was the founder of Matua Mahasangha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee have condoled her death. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was present at the hospital, termed Devi’s death as her personal loss. She said, “Devi will be cremated on Wednesday with full state honours including a gun-salute.”
After Sitharaman says won’t give death toll, Rajnath doubles down on 300 terrorists killed claim
Top ministers in the Narendra Modi government, who for a week maintained complete silence on the details of the IAF strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistan, have now broken their silence but only to speak in different voices and add to the confusion. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government’s position was to not give any casualty figure in the IAF bombing, while home minister Rajnath Singh said the number of terrorists killed in Balakot would be known "today or tomorrow". Both Sitharaman and Singh sit on the Cabinet Committee on Security, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has met twice in the past week since the air strikes.
Imran Khan sacks Pak information and culture minister for anti-Hindu remark
Pakistan's Punjab province government on Tuesday sacked its information and culture minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan over his anti-Hindu remarks that invited intense criticism from senior party leaders and the minority community. At a press conference last month, the minister was quoted by Samaa news agency, referring to the Hindus as "cow urine-drinking people". Prime minister Imran Khan took serious notice of Chohan's 'anti-Hindu' remarks and directed Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar to remove him forthwith, party sources said.