'When the Bill was passed all have been exposed. There is no difference between communal and secular.'
The Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of parliament, witnessed its second-longest sitting in history on Thursday, lasting until 4:02 am the next day. The House convened to clear the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and approve the statutory resolution on the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur. The longest sitting in Rajya Sabha history occurred on September 17, 1981, when the House sat until 4:43 am to pass the Essential Services Maintenance Bill.
Differing with Anna Hazare on the amended Lokpal Bill approved by the Union Cabinet, his team member and former Indian Police Service officer Kiran Bedi on Friday backed the legislation saying it addresses most of their concerns.
'Muslims in Bihar under Nitishji's rule are safest than anywhere else.'
'One nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments'
A Constitutional Amendment Bill paving way for the creation of a Judicial Appointments Commission to replace the present collegium system to appoint judges to higher courts was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday amid high drama with the Bharatiya Janata Party walking out.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday sought to give credit to his party for the women's reservation bill but Home Minister Amit Shah refuted his claim, saying that the legislation brought by the Manmohan Singh government had lapsed following the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.
This was probably the largest such gathering in the country to protest the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
By doing away with the 1 per cent inter-state tax over and above the GST rate, the government has met one of the three key demands over which Opposition Congress has been blocking the Bill in the Upper House
The Bill also seeks to extend nomination of Anglo-Indian communities to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies by another 10 years. The Constitution (109th Amendment) Bill 2009 moved by Law Minister M Veerappa Moily seeks to extend the reservation beyond January 25, 2010 when the time period of 60 years under Article 334 of the Constitution lapses.
he Punjab government had also sought a judicial declaration that the assembly session held on June 19 and 20 was "legal and that the business transacted by the House is valid".
SC/ST reservation in the LS and state assemblies extended for another 10 yrs. However, the benefit was not extended to Anglo-Indian members.
Displaying earnest, government will seek the views of jurists and former judges on the proposed Judicial Appointments Commission bill it plans to bring in Parliament to replace the present collegium system where judges appoint judges.
A meeting of the joint committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Friday witnessed fireworks with members vociferously opposing certain provisions of the draft legislation, leading to a brief walkout by opposition members.
There are no major legal complications in implementing the bill right now but the Narendra Modi government putting it off for 10 years, he said.
At a meeting of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, the Centre's plan to bring petroleum goods under GST regime was opposed.
'So, they have taken away the word Waqf from the Bill.' 'It will now be known as the UMEED Act.'
The two 'One Nation One Election' (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after a fiery debate.
After a spirited eight-hour debate in which 60 members participated, the Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, with 454 members voting in favour and two against it.
The bill aims to include all the Muslims sects in the Waqf board, Rijiju said.
The 102nd Constitution Amendment Act of 2018 inserted articles 338B, which deals with the structure, duties and powers of the National Commission for Backward Classes, and 342A that deals with the powers of the president to notify a particular caste as an SEBC and the power of Parliament to change the list. Article 366 (26C) defines SEBCs.
InterGlobe Aviation, the operator of IndiGo, has approached the Delhi high court seeking a refund of over Rs 900 crore it claims to have paid as Customs duty on aircraft engines and parts re-imported into India after overseas repairs. The petition came up for hearing on Friday before a bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Shail Jain.
Peoples Democratic Party legislator Nizam-ud-din Bhat, who has been accused of introducing a constitutional amendment bill with glimpses of secessionist ideas, has denied the allegation, and said that Jammu and Kashmir legislators must be free to propose amendments for the benefit of the people of the state.
The top court took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Delhi government, that earlier the challenge was directed against the Ordinance which has now become law after clearance from Parliament.
India's Parliament is set to begin its Budget session on Friday, with opposition parties poised to demand a discussion on the alleged mismanagement of the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, where 30 pilgrims died in a stampede. The opposition also accused the government of politicising parliamentary committees and pushing its agenda through its majority. The session will start with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both houses of Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Saturday for the eighth consecutive time.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider listing for urgent hearing the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider the separate pleas of opposition-ruled Kerala and West Bengal, alleging the denial of assent to bills passed by the respective legislative assemblies.
The government's agenda also includes the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021.
The Lok Sabha is on Tuesday discussing on the much-talked-about Lokpal Bill.
Six of the seven Bills listed on the agenda of the Rajya Sabha have already been passed by the Lok Sabha.
The Maharashtra legislative assembly passed the 'Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill' aimed at preventing unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organizations, focusing on urban Naxalism and passive militancy.
'Only because of the absence of a dedication record in writing, how can such properties be treated as located on misappropriated government land?'
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Monday demanded that the Centre bring a Constitutional amendment bill during the current session of the Parliament to provide for reservation to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe government employees in promotions.
Opposition MPs, some of whom have given their dissent, slammed the exercise as undemocratic, claiming that they were given little time to study the final report and frame their dissent notes.
It plans to introduce an amendment to the Anti-defection Law in the winter session of Parliament.
The Supreme Court of India will likely hear a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 on April 15. The Act, which came into force on April 8, has been met with widespread criticism from various stakeholders, including politicians, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. They argue that the law is discriminatory and violates the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution. The petitions allege that the amendments give the government more control over the administration of Waqf, effectively sidelining the Muslim minority from managing their own religious endowments.
Ramesh said the current limit of 50 percent is not explicitly mandated by the Constitution, but has been decided through various Supreme Court decisions.
The results of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are likely to play out during the winter session of Parliament beginning Wednesday.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar denied on Monday making any comments regarding changing the Constitution to accommodate four per cent reservation for Muslims in the state. He claimed he was "misquoted" and warned of moving a breach of privilege motion. Shivakumar's remarks came after the BJP forced repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha over his alleged comments on the matter. The BJP has accused Shivakumar of seeking to change the Constitution for political gain, highlighting the ongoing controversy surrounding reservation policies in India.
Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen "foundations of democratic rubric" and help realise the aspirations of "India, that is Bharat", the panel had said.
