Constitution

Female circumcision issue goes to Constitution Bench

Petitions had sought a ban on practice by Dawoodi Bohras The Supreme Court on Monday referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench petitions seeking a declaration that the practice of female circumcision or ‘khafz,’ prevalent in the Dawoodi Bohra sect, amounts to “female genital mutilation (FGM)” and is a violation of …

Read More »

J&K’s special status challenged

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the continued existence of Article 370, which gives a temporary autonomous status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir and restricts the power of Parliament to make laws for the State. The petition especially challenges a particular proviso in Article …

Read More »

‘Decision on convicts will be fair’

Governor denies referring matter to Home Ministry Clarifying that no reference had been made to the Union Home Ministry in connection with the release of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday said a decision would be taken in a just and …

Read More »

BJP’s outreach to OBCs, Dalits

The BJP’s booth campaign strategy in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election will also involve an outreach to the Other Backward Classes and the Dalits. The strategy, prepared and circulated among members of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit, makes this clear. The note lays down an explicit requirement: …

Read More »

SC poser to judge on Babri trial deadline

The court said Mr. Singh should face charges as soon as he ‘ceases’ to be Governor. In its 40-page judgment in April 2017, the Supreme Court had invoked its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142. It had evoked the maxim — ‘Let justice be done though the heavens fall.’ Besides …

Read More »

377 verdict has inbuilt firewall

SC thwarts any future attempts to bring back criminalisation of homosexuality Within the pages of the Supreme Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality contains a safeguard against any attempts by governments, present and future, to enact laws to make homosexuals criminals again. The five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of Dipak …

Read More »

Doubt if panchayat polls are on track: Mir

J&K Cong. to clear its stand next week Jammu and Kashmir Congress president G.A. Mir on Saturday expressed doubt over the holding of panchayat and local bodies elections in the State, saying the party would clear its stand after a review meeting next week. He said the administration had announced …

Read More »

KCR can’t decide poll dates: CEC

Rawat terms remarks preposterous Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) O.P. Rawat on Friday termed caretaker Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s remarks about the schedule of fresh polls preposterous. He said an EC team would visit the State on September 11 to assess poll preparedness to decide the timing. “The Commission …

Read More »

Governor to take oath in J&K today

Satyapal Malik, the newly-appointed Governor of J&K, will be administered the oath of office on Thursday, ending the five-decade-long practice of retired bureaucrats being appointed to the post, officials said on Wednesday. Mr. Malik,72, has experience of working with almost all political hues of the country, and will be the …

Read More »

EC should act within the law: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticised the Election Commission of India for introducing NOTA in Rajya Sabha elections. The poll body should act within the law, it said. A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, which scrapped the use of NOTA (none of the above) option …

Read More »

SC scraps NOTA option for RS polls

EC move will revive ‘Satan of defection’ The Supreme Court on Tuesday scrapped the use of NOTA (none of the above) option for Rajya Sabha polls, saying it would usher back the “Satan of defections.” A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, held that the option …

Read More »

Valley in lockdown over Article 35A

Regional parties ask Centre to safeguard special status, say adjourned hearing will exacerbate tensions Life was affected in the Kashmir Valley for the second day on Monday following the shut down called by separatists over the challenge to Article 35(A) in the Supreme Court. Offices, educational institutions and business centres …

Read More »

New SOP for those left out

Extract: RGI Sailesh told The Hindu that the SOP would ensure that filing claims and objections was a fair and credible process. “There may be many applicants who may not understand the process and the required documentation. So we have to see that every person has the right information and …

Read More »