The Centre has opposed in the Supreme Court a batch of pleas seeking legal validation of same sex marriage, saying it would cause a complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws and in accepted societal values.
The bench allowed the rejoinder affidavit to be filed by petitioners in two weeks thereafter and posted the matter for final hearing in January, 2025.
Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal has criticised Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for questioning the judiciary over the timeline for the president to take decisions, calling it "unconstitutional " and a lowering of the dignity of the chair. Sibal asserted that Dhankhar's remarks are not neutral and amount to an attack on the judiciary by the executive. He also pointed out that the president acts on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, and therefore, the president's power cannot be curtailed. Sibal urged Dhankhar to seek a review of the judiciary's decision or an advisory opinion from the Supreme Court if he has problems with it. He also questioned why Dhankhar only focuses on actions taken during Congress governments and not after 2014.
The apex court rejected the preliminary objection raised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia cannot be permitted to file second set of special leave petitions to challenge the Delhi high court's May 21 verdict which denied him bail in the excise policy cases.
At the same time, a regular part of the conversation between the two countries has been about democracy and rights, Blinken said.
'Because the same stupid questions are repeated year after year when an exam should provoke the students to think and not ask repetitive questions.' 'So, what do coaching institutes do? They teach students to memorise these questions and answers without understanding the subject.'
'The retail business was somewhat slow initially, but it has picked up over the past seven to eight days. Following Makar Sankranti, there is a renewed sense of positivity.'
A group of protesters stormed a book stall in Dhaka, Bangladesh, over the display of books by exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin. The incident prompted Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to order a probe into the "disorderly behaviour." The incident unfolded at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Monday, with protesters surrounding the stall and chanting slogans. Police intervened to restore order, but the protesters then encircled the police control room, keeping tensions high. Following widespread criticism, Chief Adviser Yunus ordered authorities to bring those responsible to justice. The Bangla Academy has formed a committee to investigate the chaos and attack on the publishing house.
In a significant move, 130 Dalit families in West Bengal were finally allowed to enter the Gidheshwar Shiv Temple after being barred for nearly three centuries due to caste discrimination. The families, who are primarily cobblers and weavers, had faced social and economic exclusion for their attempts to worship at the temple. Local authorities intervened after multiple rounds of discussions with village elders, temple servants, and political leaders, leading to a resolution of the long-standing dispute.
The resolution noted that the Ram temple is a symbol of India's vision, philosophy and path. "Shri Ram temple has truly become a temple of national consciousness," it said and added that every Indian was happy to see the divine consecration of Lord Shri Ram.
Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, has left the United States after her student visa was revoked over allegations of supporting Hamas. Srinivasan, a PhD student in Urban Planning, claims her visa was revoked for engaging in protected political speech. The Trump administration has been accused of targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators through the use of federal immigration powers, and this case has drawn attention to the potential for free speech suppression in the United States.
Modifying the single bench order, the division bench presided by Justice I P Mukerji directed that Banerjee and Ghosh will be free to make any statement concerning the Governor, not crossing the contours of freedom of speech and expression and public duty.
"Is this the job of the court? Why do you file such petitions? the bench said.
'I could not believe that such a great player could be so friendly. He was like a father figure to all of us.'
'It does two things that even our erstwhile colonial masters did not deem fit for their subjects: The Bill does away with any checks or balances on the exercise of interception and surveillance powers, including any penalty whatsoever for unauthorised interception, opening, scrutiny, or destruction of postal materials.'
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday called on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussed issues of bilateral interest.
Disagreeing with the Centre's submission that the petitions seeking legal validation of same-sex marriage reflected an 'urban elitist' view, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on Tuesday queerness is not urban or elite, or restricted to upper classes and privileged communities.
A special court in India has sentenced a man to "triple death sentence" for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl last year. The court deemed the crime "rarest of rare" and declared the accused "extremely cruel and bestial." His mother and sister were also sentenced to two years in prison for helping to cover up the crime.
'Mamata needs to address the anger and resentment among various sections of the Hindu community because low-scale communal violence has always paid richer electoral dividends for the BJP.'
The exodus of FPIs from the Indian equity markets continued unabated, as they withdrew over Rs 7,300 crore (about $840 million) in the first week of this month due to global trade tensions, with the US imposing tariffs on countries such as Canada, Mexico, and China. This came following an outflow of Rs 78,027 crore in the entire January. Before that, they invested Rs 15,446 crore in December, data with the depositories showed.
The appeal contended that the high court has sought to curtail the fundamental right of Muslim student women by not allowing them to wear the hijab.
In a dramatic shift in Canada's foreign policy, Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday declared that the long-standing economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States has ended, responding to US President Donald Trump's announcement of new auto tariffs that could severely impact Canada's economy, Politico reported.
'I am determined now to celebrate all festivals together.' 'People don't respond much when you try to convince them by talking about principles of secularism etc. But if we revive our shared cultural practices, specially food, we may get a better response.'
Kharge said that India progressed due to Congress' approach of inclusion and taking everyone along.
The Bombay High Court has refused relief to a foreign national, who had challenged the denial of employment visa on the ground that it violated her fundamental rights.
'Politicians can do symbolism by changing the names of places and museums.' 'Judges need not be seen to be craving for approval from the public.'
'He may respect others, but he is unlikely to admire them'
The petitioner, advocate PV Jeevesh, said that while the Centre gave Hindi and Sanskrit titles to those important legislations, the majority of the legal fraternity in South India is not conversant with the two languages.
"The right to enter a temple is not dependent on a legislation. It is the constitutional right," the bench said.
Ahead of Trump's inauguration here on January 20, the debate on foreign guest workers visas for highly skilled professionals, the H-1B, has intensified which has literally created divisions in both the Democratic and the Republican parties.
The name of the father of the petitioner, who is the son of an unwed mother, was different in three of his documents.
While Jay Shah has warned the media against violating his fundamental right to privacy, Tushar Mehta -- his lawyer in the defamation case -- had opposed right to privacy in the Supreme Court, says Dr Gopal Krishna.
'Nehru remains central to the polemic between the Congress and the BJP, or stated ideologically, between secular and Hindu nationalism.' 'The reason is that Nehru represents what is optimally possible as a secular politics along with liberalism and democracy in a country like India.'
'Trump's desire to withdraw the US from some arenas on the global stage will result in ceding space to China.'
He said that in recent times, based on the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, China and India have maintained close communication on the border situation through diplomatic and military channels and achieved great progress.
Bollywood stars had quite a busy weekend. Here's looking at what they did.
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.
The Kerala unit of the Congress instantly gets a headache when Shashi Tharoor lets loose one of his observations showering flowers on enemy territory. With every such action triggering controversy within a nervous Congress party, some feel it is high time Tharoor showed a degree of solidarity with the ideals of his party, notes Shyam G Menon.
Several women wrestlers wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the IOA and the ad-hoc panel running the WFI, requesting "fair trials" for Asian Games.
The Centre has denied political clearance to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his visit to Paris to support the Indian Hockey team at the Olympic Games, an official source said on Saturday.
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