The majority opinion on the Constitution Bench that the Aadhaar Act was a Money Bill prevailed on Wednesday, but the dissenting judgment by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud questioned how a statute about an identity proof, Aadhaar, can be possibly passed as a Money Bill. Justice A.K. Sikri, who wrote the majority …

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce a judgment on Thursday on whether to refer the question if a “mosque as a place of prayer is an essential part of Islam” in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid appeals to a Constitution Bench. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra …

In a move to enhance governance and quality of medical education, an ordinance was issued on Wednesday, dissolving the Medical Council of India (MCI) and replacing it with a seven-member Board of Governors led by NITI Aayog Member Dr. V.K. Paul. A Bill to replace the MCI with a National …

Registered firms are only dismantling and not processing trash, says report Many of India’s electronic-waste (e-waste) recyclers aren’t recycling waste at all. While some are storing it in hazardous conditions, others don’t even have the capacity to handle such waste, says a new report prepared by the Union Environment Ministry. …

Agriculture Minister pegs output at 141.59 million tonnes India’s foodgrains production is estimated at a record 141.59 million tonnes (MT) in the kharif season of 2018-19 crop year, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Wednesday. The country had produced 140.73 MT foodgrains in the kharif season of 2017-18 crop …

The partial striking down of Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, which allows private entities to use Aadhaar for authentication of a person’s identity, comes as a great blow to corporate entities. Section 57 has been one of the most watched areas in the Aadhaar litigation before a Constitution Bench …

The government on Wednesday welcomed the verdict on Aadhaar, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad terming it a ‘historic judgment’ that would bolster good governance, and the delivery of services to the poorer sections of society. “The Supreme Court decision is a historic one,” Mr. …

The reconstituted Parliamentary Committee on Finance, headed by M. Veerappa Moily of the Congress, could not build a consensus on the long-pending report on demonetisation with BJP members continuing to oppose its finalisation. A draft report on demonetisation, which was circulated last year, looks at the impact of the move …

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday modified a 2006 judgment requiring the State to show quantifiable data to prove the “backwardness” of a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community in order to provide quota in promotion in public employment. The 58-page judgment by a five-judge Bench led by Chief …

Majority judgment in Aadhaar case silent on erasing Though the majority opinion in the Aadhaar verdict is silent on deleting biometric data already collected by phone companies, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s direction to do so will open a Pandora’s box, if implemented. The Constitution Bench on Wednesday was unanimous in declaring …

Non-IPS officers could be posted in any UT and will be at the direct disposal of Home Ministry The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified new rules amalgamating police forces in six Union Territories. The rules effectively mean that officers, who are not direct IPS recruits, could be posted in …

Says it fulfils government’s aimto provide dignity to marginalisedIt’s a unique ID that cannot beduplicated unlike PAN, ration cardMajority opinion upholds it as a reasonable restriction on privacyUpholds the passage of the Aadhaar Act as a Money Bill The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion on Wednesday, upheld Aadhaar as …

Quite a number of dacoities are reported to have been committed in the province of Bengal last week. In Murshidabad one case is reported in the village of Kasior Police Station Mirzapur. In this case some 15 men entered the house of a woman named Sarada Bewa, tied her with …

The committee of enquiry delivered its report on Monday evening [September 23] in Aligarh before a record number of trustees. Their decision was that Professor Krall’s resignation be accepted and that Mr. Towls, Principal, and Miss Beck, be asked to reconsider their resignations. The report is silent about other resignations. …

At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bombay Municipal Corporation this noon [September 25] consideration was given to the reappearance of the mysterious fever during the past few days in an acute and dangerous form. When the epidemic was raging a couple of months ago although it was …

Minutes after we watched Roma and interacted with its maker Alfonso Cuaron, the guy sitting in front of me at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto turned back and suddenly confessed to have wept copiously through the film. For the next 10 minutes we discussed what makes people cry …

Instead of snipping strands, they swapped DNA letters to correct Marfan Syndrome, an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue. Huang Xingxu, the lead author of the paper, which was published in Molecular Therapy , said it was done on 18 viable human embryos through in-vitro. Two of the embryos, however, …

The process of filing claims and objections by persons left out of the draft National Register of Citizens in Assam began on Tuesday, in an atmosphere fraught with uncertainty about the documentation needed and possible recourse for those who may ultimately not clear the final list. In the draft published …

The Maldives turns the page onpre-election cynicism with a dramatic result The interim results of Sunday’s presidential election in the Maldives have given the joint opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih a resounding victory in the direct contest with the incumbent, Abdulla Yameen. The final results will be published by the …

The five-time world chess champion remembers his highest and lowest moments Viswanathan Anand is among India’s greatest sportspersons of all time. In 2000, he became the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship. He went on to lift the world title four more times. He is also one of …