'So, they have taken away the word Waqf from the Bill.' 'It will now be known as the UMEED Act.'
The Indian government has defended the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 in the Supreme Court, arguing that there cannot be a blanket stay on the law as there is a presumption of its constitutionality. The Centre countered the pleas challenging the law's validity, asserting that the amendments were undertaken after a comprehensive study by a parliamentary panel. The government also highlighted the "reported misuse" of earlier provisions and the increase in waqf land, claiming that over 20 lakh hectares were added after 2013.
Sharad Pawar claimed that two individuals had met him in New Delhi before the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls and 'guaranteed' the Opposition's victory in 160 of 288 constituencies.
The Indian government has claimed a significant increase in waqf land following the 2013 amendment to the Waqf Act, asserting that the addition of 20 lakh acres raises concerns about potential "misuse" of the provisions. In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Centre highlighted a 116% rise in auqaf area after the amendment and urged the dismissal of petitions challenging the Act's validity.
The bench wondered if it struck down the immunity clause in the penal codes then the offence will be covered under the main provision on rape or "can the court create a separate offence or adjudicate the validity of the exception (clause)".
The Supreme Court of India has repeatedly criticized the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for exceeding its authority and misusing its powers. The latest rebuke came on Thursday, when the court accused the agency of 'crossing all limits' in a money laundering probe against a Tamil Nadu state-run liquor retailer. This follows a string of similar observations by the Supreme Court and high courts across India, raising concerns about the ED's investigative practices and the potential for misuse of its powers.
'The Election Commission's involvement in the avoidable SIR controversy has carried a message down to the last voter -- who just does not like it,' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of pleas seeking to review its October 2023 verdict declining legal sanction to same-sex marriage.
'Militants are taking over the administration. Fundamentalists have been released from jail.'
The winter session of Parliament is likely to commence in the second week of December and could conclude ahead of Christmas, sources said on Wednesday.
While India today is vastly different from the India of 1975, the need for vigilance against authoritarianism remains the same, asserts Utkarsh Mishra.
The Supreme Court of India began hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, asked both sides to address whether the court should entertain the petitions or relegate them to the high court. The hearing is underway with senior advocate Kapil Sibal arguing for the petitioners. The act, which was passed by Parliament following heated debates, has been challenged by various parties including AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.
Justices Arif S Doctor and Somasekhar Sundaresan held there was nothing in the MCC that would interfere with the Board's ongoing activities.
The Centre said as a matter of judicial review, the court could declare the provisions to be unconstitutional, however, the relief sought by the petitioner effectively sought to read "life-long" instead of "six years" in all sub-sections of Section 8 of the Act.
The court also observed that the apology needs to be published in the newspapers by Asokan personally and not from the funds of the IMA.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday dismissed a petition by Neelam Azad, an accused arrested in the December 13 Parliament security breach case, seeking her release on the grounds that her police remand was illegal.
Section 6A, which was incorporated in the Citizenship Act 1955 following the signing of the 1985 Assam Accord, was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Underscoring the 'presumption of constitutionality in favour of law', the Supreme Court on Tuesday said petitioners challenging the waqf law needed a 'strong and glaring' case for interim relief.
The Delhi Police on Thursday moved a court seeking permission to conduct the polygraph test of all six people arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach matter.
The Election Commission of India has invited all national and state political parties to provide suggestions by April 30 on any unresolved issues related to the electoral process. This call for feedback comes amid allegations of electoral roll manipulation, with opposition parties demanding a discussion in Parliament on the issue. The EC has also proposed an interaction with party presidents and senior members to further strengthen electoral processes.
It will be court's opinion versus the legislative power to enact law, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said as it posted the pleas challenging the appointment of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners under the 2023 law on February 4.
He, however, clarified that he does not want to make the matter a "government versus judiciary" issue.
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Lok Sabha secretariat for inauguration of the new Parliament building by President Droupadi Murmu.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Indian Medical Association president R V Asokan's unconditional apology published in a newspaper over his "damaging" statements in an interview to PTI was illegible and the font miniscule.
The action came after a 'jatha' of 101 farmers, who resumed their foot march to Delhi shortly after 12 noon on Saturday from the Shambhu protest site on the Punjab-Haryana border, reached the barricades put up by the Haryana security personnel.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has questioned the Chief Justice of India's involvement in executive appointments, specifically citing the selection of the CBI director. He believes this practice undermines democratic principles and calls for revisiting the existing norms. Dhankhar also raised concerns about the "doctrine of basic structure", suggesting it has a debatable jurisprudential basis. He emphasized the importance of each institution operating within its constitutional boundaries and highlighted the need for coordinated autonomy. The vice president also discussed the need for a balanced approach to judicial review and the importance of judges focusing on judgments rather than other forms of expression. He stressed the need to revisit the current state of affairs to restore the judiciary's sublimity.
The revised salaries of MPs are significantly lower than the salaries drawn by top bureaucrats in the country.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
The Centre on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that it will neither denotify Waqf properties, including "Waqf by user", nor make any appointments to the central Waqf council and boards till May 5.
The BJP had no option but to get Jagdeep Dhankhar out of its way for the sake of the Modi government's stability, reveals Sheela Bhatt, the legendary political journalist.
A seven-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra and Satish Chandra Sharma said there is no error apparent on the face of the record.
Besides the not-so-hidden unease between Modi and Adityanath, Modi chose to address the Lok Sabha to ensure that he could personally claim all the kudos, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
'By extending the definition of 'personal' to include institutions and not just individuals, the State has equipped itself with a tool to block access to most kinds of information.'
In an affidavit filed in the court in response to petitions challenging the law, the Union of India said that despite the top court setting aside the practice in 2017, it has "not worked as a sufficient deterrent in bringing down the number of divorces by this practice" among the members of the Muslim community.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has questioned the lack of an FIR in the case involving the discovery of burnt cash at a Delhi High Court judge's residence, raising concerns about potential immunity from prosecution for certain individuals. He criticized the delay in investigation and the in-house probe by a three-judge panel, highlighting the importance of transparency and the rule of law in addressing such a significant incident.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's reference to the death of judge B H Loya 'long before his time' created uproar in Lok Sabha on Friday as Union minister Kiren Rijiju accused her of raising a matter settled by the Supreme Court, and warned of 'appropriate parliamentary action'.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said that a citizen cannot seek a right to stand up in Parliament.
The None of the Above (NOTA) option once again found few takers, with 0.75 per cent of the electorate pressing the button in Maharashtra and 1.32 per cent in Jharkhand. Votes for the assembly elections in these two states were counted on Saturday.
Congress member of Parliament, Shantaram Naik has expressed grave concern over the dangerous trend of the Supreme Court laying down "laws" in the name of interpretation, thereby diluting Parliament's supremacy to frame laws.
An exasperated Justice Chandrachud asserted he will not allow any lawyer to "dictate" the procedure of the court.
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