Page 6 - Constitution

Gogoi questioning jurisprudence of Constitution's structure shocking: Cong

The Congress on Monday said former CJI and Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi "questioning the jurisprudence of the basic structure of the Constitution" was "shocking". The party asked if this was the "BJP's trick" to begin the "full-fledged dismantling" of the Constitution. The Congress' attack on the ruling party came after Gogoi, while participating in the debate on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, said, "There is a book by (TR) Andhyarujina, the former solicitor general, on the Kesavananda Bharati case." "Having read the book, my view is that the doctrine of the basic structure of the Constitution has a very debatable jurisprudential basis. I would not say anything more than this," the former chief justice of India said. Reacting to his remarks made in Rajya Sabha, Congress general secretary in-charge organization K C Venugopal said, "Shocking that a former CJI questions the jurisprudence of the basic structure of the Constitution." "Is th

Parental consent for love marriages: Gujarat CM says, will look into issue

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that his government will carry out a study on the proposal "if the Constitution does not become a hindrance"

Opposition meeting to protect democracy, Constitution, secularism: Kharge

The Congress is not interested in power or the post of prime minister, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday as leaders of 26 Opposition parties got together here to discuss strategy ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In his inaugural address on the second day of the key Opposition meeting, he said, "Our intention in this meeting is not to gain power for ourselves. It is to protect our Constitution, democracy, secularism and social justice". He admitted to differences among opposition parties at the state level but noted that these are not ideological. "These differences are not so big that we cannot put them behind us for the sake of the common man and middle class which is suffering due to inflation, for the sake of our youth who are suffering from unemployment, for the sake of the poor, Dalits, adivasis and the minorities whose rights are being crushed silently behind the scenes," the Congress chief said. He said 26 parties are here together, and in government in 1

Anti-conversion law: What it is and how various states implement it

According to the latest USCIRF report, the anti-conversion legislation "violates international human rights law's protections for the right to freedom of religion or belief"

Parliament building constructed by burying Constitution: Saurabh Bhardwaj

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday said that the new Parliament House has been constructed by burying the Constitution of India

BJP sabotaging Parliamentary convention, Constitution, says Congress

Pointing out the traditions of Parliament, the Congress leader said "the President of India is the part and parcel of the Parliamentary system and the Parliament"

Malpractice in admission process antithetical to Constitution: Delhi HC

Malpractice in admission in educational institutions are antithetical to the Constitution, which provides that the process be held in a fair, transparent and non-exploitative manner, the Delhi High Court has said. The court, while rejecting petitions by several private institutions here assailing Delhi government circulars regulating admissions against management seats, said although "backdoor entry" into professional courses is not unknown, institutions are under an obligation to maintain merit and transparency. Selection of students should not be based on extraneous factors such as personal connections, wealth or social status, it said. In the present case, the circulars introduced several measures with the aim to ensure and maintain fairness and transparency in the admission process as they envisaged the creation of an online portal to display branch-wise and college-wise seats available under the management quota. The measures also included online application by candidates as w

Article 370 was meant to be 'temporary' provision in Constitution: Shah

The now-scrapped Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was meant to be a "temporary" provision since the beginning and the framers of the Constitution had put it there "intelligently", Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. Inaugurating a training programme on legislative drafting, Shah also said that if a legislation is drafted well, there is "no need for any court to give any explanation to any law". If the drafting is simple and clear, it will also be easier to educate people about the law with minimal chances of errors by the executive, he said and added that if "grey areas" are left in the drafting, they will lead to "encroachment" in interpretation. Shah said if the drafting is complete and lucid, its interpretation will also be clear. Referring to Article 370, which the BJP government at the Centre repealed in 2019, the home minister said the whole country wanted that the provision of the Constitution should not be in existence. He also highligh

Tribal protest in Manipur turns violent; curfew imposed, internet suspended

The mass protest was organised to oppose the demand to include the state's Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category

Cong to ally with like-minded parties to defend Constitution: Sonia Gandhi

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said with the Narendra Modi government bent on "misusing every power" and elections approaching in several key states, her party will take its message directly to people and join hands with all like-minded parties to defend the Constitution. In an Op-Ed in "The Hindu", Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Modi and his government of "systematically dismantling" the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, saying their actions demonstrate a "deep-rooted disdain" for democracy. She also alleged that the prime minister "ignores" the rising tide of hatred and violence, egged on by BJP and RSS leaders, and has not once called for peace or harmony or acted to reign in the offenders, let alone bring them to justice. "Religious festivals seem to have become occasions to intimidate and bully others -- a far cry from when they were occasions for joy and celebration. Instead, there is intimidation and discrimination only on account of their .

Sedition, repression and the Constitution

Rohan J Alva's book tracing the history of sedition reads like a potboiler, with unexpected twists and turns

No proposal to rework Constitution based on introduction of 'she/her': Govt

No proposal is under consideration at present to rework the Constitution based on the recent introduction of the "she/her" pronouns while referring to all genders in the Digital Data Protection Bill, 2022, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said drafting of legislations in line with the government's philosophy of empowering women is an evolving and innovative practice. He was responding to a question on whether based on the recent introduction of the "she/her" pronouns while referring to all genders in the Digital Data Protection Bill, 2022, the government plans to rework the existing pronouns in the Constitution. "Drafting of legislations in line with the government's philosophy of empowering of women is an evolving and innovative practice and no such proposal to rework the Constitution is under consideration at present," he said.

SC to set up fresh bench to hear pleas against polygamy, nikah halala

Upadhyay's plea said the injury caused to the women as practice of triple-talaq, polygamy and nikah-halala is violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution and injurious to public order

The long run vs the short run

There are no easy solutions to two important debates of our times-sustainable development and the basic structure of the Constitution, but the guiding principles are clear

Constitutional crisis looms as WB govt yet to relieve principal Secy to Guv

Constitutional crisis seems to be looming in West Bengal as the state government is yet to issue notification to replace Nandini Chakroborty, the Principal Secretary to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose.

Former Supreme Court judges who were appointed as governors post-retirement

The appointment of former judges to other constitutional posts has long been a matter of debate in India

AAP misleading people, has no faith in Constitution, alleges Delhi BJP

Delhi BJP's working president Virendra Sachdeva reacted sharply to Aam Aadmi Party's move to approach the Supreme Court over the repeated adjournments of mayoral polls for MCD

Republic Day an occasion to rededicate to constitutional values: Kharge

Quoting Dr BR Ambedkar, Kharge said, "We are Indians, firstly and lastly"

Constitution has withstood test of time: Prez Murmu on eve of R-Day

In her address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, she said India is home to one of the oldest living civilisations and is called the mother of democracy

Best of BS Opinion: Deficient regulation, structural strength, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today