by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea by Muslim litigants seeking that the hearing on the batch of petitions challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict directing the splitting of the disputed site at Ayodhya be heard by a larger bench.
The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer reserved the verdict on the conclusion of arguments by senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan seeking the reconsideration of the part of 1994 top court judgment which said that a mosque was not essential to Islam for offering Namaz.
Dhavan appeared for the lead petitioner M. Siddiqui represented by his legal heir.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court by its September 30, 2010 verdict had ordered that the land around the disputed site would be divided into three parts — one for deity (Ramlala Virajmaan), another for Nirmohi Akhara — a Hindu sect and an original litigant in the case and third for the Muslims.
At the outset of the hearing in the apex court on Friday, the court witnessed commotion as some lawyers objected to Dhavan’s use of term Hindu Taliban and comparing the razing of Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992 to that of destruction of Buddha statues in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan by the Taliban.
Refusing to budge from his description of Hindu Taliban, Dhavan said that he stood by every word and destruction of Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992 was an act of terrorism.
As senior counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan appearing for one the Hindu litigants described arguments as “mockery”, Dhavan said: “It is an argument based on the destruction of the mosque.”
Dhavan said that the former Chief Justice, the late J.S.Verma had said that Hindus must wear the cross for the destruction of the Babri Mosque.
At this, reminding Dhavan that it was incumbent upon senior lawyers to maintain “decorum” in the court, the Chief Justice described as “inappropriate” the words used by the senior lawyer.
Taking exception to the “inappropriate adjectives” used by Dhavan, he said that “adjectives” that are used in the course of the arguments should be the ones that have the acceptance of the court.
“You may think what you may, but the court thinks it was completely inappropriate,” Chief Justice Misra said as Dhavan insisted that he did not think that the description of Hindu Taliban was inappropriate.
Dhavan said that he could differ with the bench and that will not amount to contempt.
The Chief Justice meanwhile one of the lawyers to leave the court room after he said that “thousands of temple were destroyed and you still call us Hindu Taliban”.
Things came to such a pass, that a lawyer complained that court has become a sort of parliament.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
Pune : Launching a fresh salvo at ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday asked if the demonetization decision could be taken so quickly, why is the decision on building Ram Temple in Ayodhya still pending.
“The demonetization decision was taken instantly, but the work on Ram Mandir has yet to begun. They (BJP) had said it would happen before the elections – which elections, 2019 or 2050?” Thackeray asked sarcastically.
Talking to media persons here on a pre-election preparatory visit, the Sena chief said the same was the status of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s other major policies like Uniform Civil Code, or abrogation of the Constitution’s Article 370.
“There is no discussion on these important issues now, they are almost forgotten. You have the majority and should have implemented these… what happened?” he asked.
To a question on the recent controversy over distribution of the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita to students in 100 select colleges in Mumbai, Thackeray said “this was being done to hide the mess prevailing in the University of Mumbai”.
“The students need to be given education relevant to modern times. The university is ridden with mismanagement, there are paper leaks, examination results are being delayed and other major problems. Instead of concentrating and solving all these issues, the education department wants to distribute Bhagavad Gita,” Thackeray said.
Targetting Saudi Aramco’s proposed Rs 3 trillion oil refinery and integrated petrochemicals complex coming up in Nanar, Ratnagiri, he reiterated his party’s opposition to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ pet project.
“The CM has assured that it will not be imposed if the locals are opposed to it. Whatever he may say, we are with the people of the Konkan region who do not want the project. We shall not allow it to come up,” Thackeray declared.
Earlier, meeting with the Sena’s Pune party office-bearers, he conceded that the Pune and western Maharashtra region was being ignored, “but that would not happen anymore”.
“I have directed all the party leaders to pay special attention to Pune and they will work with renewed vigour. I shall also come here regularly to monitor the progress,” he assured.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Hyderabad : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Friday said that construction of a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya will begin before the 2019 elections.
Shah told a meeting of party leaders here that steps will be taken to clear the decks for launching construction of the temple before the polls.
BJP National Executive member Perala Sekharjee briefed the media about the meeting at BJP’s Telangana state unit office.
“Considering the developments, I believe that construction of Ram temple will begin before the coming general elections,” Sekharjee quoted Shah as saying.
The BJP chief, who arrived on a day-long visit to Hyderabad on Friday, also told the meeting that the elections will not be advanced.
Shah told his party colleagues to prepare strategies to bring the party to power in the state.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : As the Supreme Court resumes work on Monday after 43 days of summer recess, all eyes are on its hearing on Ayodhya title dispute, the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and power tussle between the Delhi and Central governments.
The Ayodhya issue assumes added significance as it is being perceived in the political circles as one of the electoral options of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the run up to general elections in 2019.
Besides the judgment on Aadhaar, the top court will pronounce a verdict on the tussle between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi over the administration of the national capital.
A Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, will also hear a number of issues including a plea by Parsi sisters on whether a woman loses her religious identity after marrying a man from a different religion and whether the ban on the entry of women between 10 and 50 years in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple on the grounds of biological factors was discriminatory and violative of the Constitution’s Articles 14, 15 and 17.
The matters listed before the Constitution bench, headed by CJI Misra, including the one on Ayodhya title case by a three-judge bench, have to be completed before October 2 — the day he retires.
The top court’s collegium, which had “in principle” decided to reiterate its recommendation for the elevation of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph to the Supreme Court, will hold meetings on the issue.
The collegium had decided to reiterate its recommendation after it was returned by the government for reconsideration.
In its meeting on May 11, the collegium decided it will resend its January 10 “unanimous” recommendation for Justice Joseph’s elevation, along with other names from Calcutta, Rajasthan, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Courts.
It was reiterated during a collegium meeting on May 16 when it decided to have further deliberation and broad-based consideration of the names of the Chief Justices as well as Judges of the high courts which are at present not represented in the Supreme Court.
The apex court will also resume hearing on a plea related to the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislation protecting unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi. It will monitor issues relating to unauthorised constructions in Delhi.
A bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur which had many a times expressed disappointment on the “misuse” of huge funds, meant for the protection of the environment and the benefit of people, for other purposes like municipal works by the states will resume hearing on the issue.
The Central government will apprise the court how it intends to utilise the huge amounts to the tune of around Rs 75,000 crore lying in the form of various funds created on the apex court’s orders for protection of the environment.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Alok Kumar
New Delhi : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday said it will wait for the Supreme Court’s order to build the Ram Mandir at the disputed site in Ayodhya “lawfully” but expressed its opposition to a mosque next to it.
VHP Working President Alok Kumar said he expected the court’s order by the end of this year and it would be in favour of the temple.
“We want the Supreme Court to start day-to-day hearing in the case from July. We expect its decision would come by end of this year and construction would start next year,” Kumar told reporters here.
“The issue is about the title of the land. We do not want a mosque in the temple area. If our Muslim brothers want a mosque outside it, we will have no problem.”
In case, the decision does not come by the end of the year, the VHP would consult saints to decide the next course of action, he added.
Kumar also said former VHP President Pravin Togadia’s decision to form a new Hindu outfit — Antar-Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) — would not have any negative impact on his organisation.
“It says any organisation set on the basis of ego, ambition or copying anyone does not last long. The VHP operates on collective leadership. So there will not be any big loss to us because of it (AHP),” Kumar said.
However, Togadia can come back to the VHP as “the doors are open for him,” he said.
—IANS
