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Babri demolition case should have been settled before SC proceedings in Ayodhya title suit: Justice Liberhan

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Babri demolition case should have been settled before SC proceedings in Ayodhya title suit: Justice Liberhan

The Justice Liberhan commission of inquiry had indicted BJP stalwarts Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi for Babri Masjid demolition

Days before the Supreme Court begins its daily hearing in the long-pending and politically sensitive Ayodhya title suit case, Justice (retired) Manmohan Singh Liberhan, who had led a commission of inquiry that looked into the Babri Masjid demolition incident, has said that it would have been better had the trial in the demolition suit been disposed off first.

The demolition suit – in which charges of criminal conspiracy in demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 have been made out against BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati – has been gathering dust in a special CBI court in Lucknow since May 30 this year when the BJP leaders were charged. Interestingly, the Supreme Court had ordered the special CBI court to wrap up proceedings in this case within two years but little forward movement seems to have taken place in the past six months since Advani, Joshi and Bharati were charged of criminal conspiracy.

In an interview to the Indian Express newspaper, Justice Liberhan has said that the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a bunch of petitions appealing against the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit from December 5 onwards “will adversely affect the demolition suit”.

It is pertinent to note that the demolition suit is based largely on findings made by the Justice Liberhan Commission of Inquiry, which had in its report submitted in June 2009 held that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was “meticulously planned”. The Justice Liberhan report – as the commission’s findings are now popularly known as – had indicted former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi as “pseudo moderates” and claimed that they were “ideological and intellectually” responsible for the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992. The report had added that though Vajpayee was not present at the Babri Masjid site when it was demolished, it cannot be assumed that he, along with Advani and Joshi, did not know about the designs of the Sangh Parivar which obviously wanted to raze the mosque to the ground.

Clearly unhappy about the Supreme Court’s decision to begin daily hearings in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit from December 5 while the demolition suit against LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and other BJP-RSS leaders and workers gathered dust, Justice Liberhan asked: “what is the point of this”.

“If it is decided that it is Wakf property, then one side is established as guilty of demolition. And if the Hindu sides get it (the Ram Janmbhoomi title), then the act of demolition becomes seen as ‘justified’ — to reclaim own property. This demolition is known to people alive and must be decided first. They (the Lucknow special CBI court) can take a few weeks or months to do it,” Justice Liberhan was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

The 79-year-old retired judge also found fault with the verdict of the Allahabad High Court in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit which is now in appeal in the Supreme Court. “The Allahabad High Court decision is not the answer. A decision had to be made on the title suit of the property and they went and partitioned the land,” said Justice Liberhan, who had served as chief justice of the Madras and later Andhra Pradesh High Court before retiring from the judiciary.

The Allahabad High Court had, in a largely controversial verdict delivered in 2010, divided the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya between the main deity Ram Lalla, Sunni Wakf Board and Nirmohi Akhara. The verdict had been criticised by several legal eagles and politicians, aside from the parties in the case, for having adjudicated a title suit on the basis on faith and not law.

Liberhan says that the ruling party as well as the Opposition today are both indifferent to the circumstances under which the Babri Masjid was razed. “None of the political parties today want to do something or even genuinely feel like they should do something on the demolition of the Babri Masjid. They just want to encash it in their own ways. In the present political environment, even the philosophical idea of imagining the so-called secular society is not there, it is just limited to sloganism (sic),” he was quoted as saying.

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Parliament Winter Session to be held from November 25 to December 20

Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister affirmed that the government’s proposal to convene both Houses of the Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) during this period was sanctioned by President Droupadi Murmu.

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Parliament Winter Session to be held from November 25 to December 20

The Parliament Winter Session will commence from November 25 and will conclude on December 20. The winter session will take place two days after the announcement of Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly election results.

Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister affirmed that the government’s proposal to convene both Houses of the Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) during this period was sanctioned by President Droupadi Murmu.

Notably, the upcoming Winter Session will be the observance of Constitution Day on November 26, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution. Reportedly, the event will be celebrated in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi, with members of both Houses gathering to honour the country’s foundational document.

Taking to X, Kiren Rijiju said that the President, on the recommendation of Government of India, has approved the proposal for summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Winter Session, 2024 from 25th November to 20th December, 2024 (subject to exigencies of parliamentary business). The Union Minister added that on 26th November, 2024 (Constitution Day), 75th Anniversary of the adoption of Constitution, the event would be celebrated in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.

In this session, raging discussions are expected to be held around two key legislative proposals: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and One Nation, One Election.

Previously, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stressed on the importance of the Waqf (Amendment Bill), asserting that it would be addressed in the winter session. Addressing an election rally in Gurugram, the Home Minister said that they will resolve The Waqf Board law in the next session of the Parliament.

At present, a Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) is holding marathon meetings across various states to engage with stakeholders and address their concerns and build a consensus on the contentious bill.

Reportedly, the Centre might also look to introduce One Nation One Election Bill which will ensure simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Unity Day speech in Gujarat, said that the One Nation, One Election proposal, which aims to synchronise all elections in the country either on a single day or within a specific time frame, will be cleared soon and will become a reality.

The Prime Minister said that they are now working towards One Nation One Election, which will strengthen India’s democracy, give the optimum outcome of India’s resources and the country will gain new momentum in achieving the dream of a developed India.

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Kerala High Court quashes charges against director Sreekumar Menon in complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier

The court also noted a significant delay in the actor’s report of the alleged incident involving obscene language.

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Kerala High Court quashes charges against film director Sreekumar Menon in complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier

In a significant development, the Kerala High Court has quashed all charges against film director Sreekumar Menon in a case filed by renowned South Indian actress Manju Warrier. The criminal case lodged in 2019, alleged stalking and harassment by Sreekumar Menon against Manju Warrier.

Justice S. Manu, who presided over the case, found insufficient evidence to support the charges pressed against the film director. The charges included stalking under Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), using obscene language under Section 294(b) of the IPC, and criminal intimidation under Section 509 of the IPC.

The Kerala High Court also noted a significant delay in the actor’s report of the alleged incident involving obscene language. The complaint, which was filed in 2019, mentioned an altercation that supposedly occurred in Dubai in December 2018. Furthermore, the Court pointed out that Section 188 of the CrPC mandates seeking Central Government permission for prosecuting offenses committed outside India.

The final report also included a charge under Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act. However, the High Court observed that this offense is non-cognizable, meaning the police cannot initiate a case without specific permission. Since the other charges were deemed unsustainable, the Kerala High Court ruled that prosecution solely under this section would not hold validity.

The case stemmed from a petition filed by Manju Warrier with the Kerala State Police Chief in 2019. The petition alleged stalking and harassment by Sreekumar Menon. Subsequently, the petition led to the registration of an FIR at the Thrissur East Police Station. 

Both film director Sreekumar Warrier and actor Manju Menon have enjoyed successful careers in the Malayalam film industry. Their collaboration on the film Odiyan, starring Mohanlal, marked Sreekumar Menon’s directorial debut. 

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Will not contest any election in future, have to stop somewhere: Sharad Pawar hints at retirement

The NCP leader said that he is not in power, and his tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left.

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Will not contest any election in future, have to stop somewhere: Sharad Pawar hints at retirement

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Sharad Pawar, 83, today hinted at retirement as he said he may not contest any more elections after his Rajya Sabha term ends in 18 months.

Sharad Pawar who formed the NCP in 1999 is widely regarded as the grand old man of Maharashtra politics. The veteran politician was speaking at his family stronghold of Baramati in western Maharashtra, which will see a Pawar vs Pawar contest in the November 20 Assembly election.

Addressing a rally, the NCP leader said that he is not in power, and his tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left. He continued that he will not contest any election in future, and that he will have to stop somewhere. He also thanked the voters of Baramati for making him an MP and MLA a staggering 14 times overall. Notably, a potential close of a nearly six-decade-long political career comes as the NCP and its allies – the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena group – contest this month’s election.

In this election, the fight for Baramati is being seen as a referendum on Sharad Pawar’s continuing influence over voters, since it sees his grandnephew, Yugendra Pawar, do battle against his nephew Ajit Pawar, whose led the rebellion last year that forced the NCP to split.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar is a five-time MLA from Baramati but, in each of his earlier wins, he had the backing of his uncle’s party. This will be the first assembly election in which he contests under his own banner.

The result of the election for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, where the people voted overwhelmingly for Sharad Pawar’s candidate, his daughter Supriya Sule, underlines Ajit Pawar’s task at hand.

Speaking at Baramati, Sharad Pawar said that he holds no grudge against Ajit Pawar, adding that he led the people there for 30 years. However, he also said that it is time for him to prepare a young and dynamic leadership, which can take over for the next 30 years, apparently referring to Yugendra Pawar’s future position.

The veteran politician continued that he is not seeking votes, acknowledging that voters have always been magnanimous with all Pawar family members. He added that however, now they have to look ahead at the future.  

Notably, Sharad Pawar’s retirement from electoral politics has been circulating for some time now, and was raked up again in January by nephew Ajit Pawar, who had fought against and forced a split of his uncle’s party, leading the rebels into an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and a faction of the Shiv Sena that had earlier broken away from Uddhav Thackeray.

At that time, Ajit Pawar hit out at Sharad Pawar for not sticking to a 2023 resolution to step down from the party’s top post. He said that some people simply refuse to retire. He continued that people should stop after reaching a certain age, but some are not ready, even after turning 80. Referring to his uncle, Ajit Pawar said that this person is not ready to retire.

Responding to this jab, Sharad Pawar said that he is neither tired nor retired, echoing late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks. He questioned who they were to tell him to retire, adding that he can still work.

Last year in May, while the NCP was battling its internal crisis, Sharad Pawar announced his resignation as party boss. However, the announcement was unanimously rejected by top leaders. A few days later, he withdrew his resignation.

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