Today in Politics: SC to hear pleas on Places of Worship Act

Phase 1 of Chhattisgarh local body polls to begin; special session of Assam Assembly at Kokrajhar.

Some of the pleas filed in the apex court have challenged the validity of certain provisions of the 1991 law. (File Photo)

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear a batch of pleas relating to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

As per the causelist for February 17 uploaded on the apex court’s website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan is slated to hear the matter.

The Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

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However, the dispute relating to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue in Ayodhya was kept out of its purview.

Some of the pleas filed in the apex court have challenged the validity of certain provisions of the 1991 law.

Phase 1 of Chhattisgarh local body polls

The first phase of the three-tier Panchayat elections will be held on Monday in 53 development blocks across all 33 districts in Chhattisgarh, an official said on Sunday. Panchayat polls are not held on party lines.

Altogether, 57,99,660 voters, including 28,70,859 men, 29,28,751 women and 50 belonging to the third-gender category, will be able to exercise their franchise in the first phase, he said.

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“All preparations have been made for the first phase of the polling for posts of 27,210 ward panch, 3,605 sarpanch, 911 janpad panchayat members and 149 posts of Zila panchayat members,” a poll official said here.

Special sitting of Assam Assembly in Kokrajhar

For the first time in Assam, a session of the legislative assembly will be held outside Guwahati, with Kokrajhar hosting the inaugural sitting of the Budget session on Monday.

“It will be a historic moment as it symbolises the return of peace in the state and integration of all people. Kokrajhar, once a hub of Bodoland agitation, will host a special a one-day Assembly session,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

He said the Governor’s speech, customarily delivered on the first day of the Budget session, will be a major highlight of the sitting.

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Amir of Qatar to begin India visit

Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani will pay a state visit to India on February 17-18, during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, covering various aspects of the bilateral relations, the MEA said on Saturday.

His visit will provide “further momentum to our growing multifaceted partnership,” it said.

He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and a business delegation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Amir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani will pay a state visit to India on 17-18 February 2025,” it said.

– With PTI inputs

Amid India’s push to extradite Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, British officials visit Tihar jail to inspect conditions

British officials inspect Tihar jail as India pushes to extradite Mallya, Nirav Modi

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A team from the British CPS visited Tihar jail to inspect inmate conditions and security, amidst India's efforts to extradite fugitives Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Sanjay Bhandari from the UK. They discussed setting up a specialized enclosure for high-profile prisoners and addressed concerns about violence within the jail. As of 2024, India has made 178 extradition requests to various countries.

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