Today in Politics: SC to hear a plea on Justice Varma case; Waqf Bill protests continue

A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday had refused urgent hearing after lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara mentioned the plea.

The plea was filed by Nedumpara and three others on Sunday seeking a direction to police to lodge an FIR in the matter.

The plea challenges the 1991 judgement in the K Veeraswami case, in which the top court ruled that no criminal proceedings could be initiated against a judge of the High Court or the top court without the prior nod of the Chief Justice of India.

On March 22, CJI Sanjiv Khanna initiated an unprecedented three-member in-house inquiry into the conduct of Varma.

The internal inquiry of the judiciary — which follows a process that is distinct from that of impeachment under the Constitution — will be carried out by the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice G S Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of Karnataka High Court. On Tuesday, the three members of the SC in-house committee visited the residence of Justice Varma, commencing its inquiry in the matter. Two days later, they met Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg.

In the wake of the controversy, the apex court Collegium recommended the repatriation of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court. He was already de-rostered by the Delhi High Court following a directive from the CJI.

Meanwhile, Allahabad High Court lawyers have been protesting against the transfer of Varma.

The lawyers’ strike has brought the judicial proceedings in Allahabad High Court to a complete stop. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association (AHCBA) issued a statement that the strike would continue on Friday as well.

Muslim Personal Law Board protest against Waqf

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has urged Muslims to wear a black armband on their right hand when they go for Juma prayers on the last Friday of Ramzan as a mark of their protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi issued a video appeal on the Board’s X handle.

The AIMPLB had earlier on Sunday announced a nationwide agitation against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, with large sit-ins planned in front of the state assemblies in Patna and Vijayawada on March 26 and 29, respectively, as part of the first phase of the protest.

Political parties including the RJD joined the protests in Patna.

Another prominent attendee was Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who has been trying to woo the minority community with the promise of a sizable number of tickets in the Bihar elections. He did not speak at the event.
Major rallies are scheduled to be held in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Malerkotla (Punjab) and Ranchi, the AIMPLB had said in a statement.

The AIMPLB’s statement on wearing a black armband comes after Parliament’s joint committee submitted its report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

Though not listed yet, there is speculation that the proposed legislation could be brought for passage in Parliament during the ongoing Budget Session.

The 31-member panel on the Bill, after multiple sittings and hearings, suggested several amendments to the proposed legislation even as the Opposition members disagreed with the report and submitted dissent notes.

The Bill seeks to substantially alter the existing framework of Waqf law. The proposed amendment shifts the power of governing Waqfs from the Boards and Tribunals, which are largely run by the Muslim community, to the state governments.

Recommended Reading:

The proposed changes to Waqf law:

Explained: The proposed changes to Waqf law

— With PTI inputs