Pleas against Waqf Act: Centre files caveat in SC, hearing likely on Apr 15
New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI): The Centre on Tuesday filed a caveat in the Supreme Court and sought a hearing before any order was passed on the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
Caveat is filed by a party in the high courts and the apex court to ensure that no orders are passed without hearing it.
Over 10 petitions, including those by politicians and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, were filed in the top court challenging the validity of the newly-enacted law.
Lawyers privy to the development said the petitions were likely to be listed for hearing before a bench on April 15 though it is not reflected on the apex court website as of now.
On April 7, a bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna assured senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, to consider listing the petitions.
President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament after heated debates in both houses.
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Russian strike on Kyiv kills 9 in biggest attack on Ukrainian capital since last summer
Kyiv, Apr 24 (AP): Russia attacked Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 70 in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since last July and just as peace efforts are coming to a head.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the attack he is cutting short his official trip to South Africa and returning home as the city reeled from the bombardment that kept residents on edge for about 11 hours. It appeared to be Russia's biggest attack on Kyiv in nine months, and Zelenskyy called it one of Russia's "most outrageous".
The attack drew a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin from US President Donald Trump, who said he was “not happy” with it.
“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Senior US officials have warned that the Trump administration could soon give up its efforts to stop the war if the two sides don't compromise.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko announced that Friday would be an official day of mourning in the capital.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 66 ballistic and cruise missiles, four plane-launched air-to-surface missiles, and 145 Shahed and decoy drones at Kyiv and four other regions of Ukraine. Rescue workers with flashlights scoured the charred rubble of partly collapsed homes as the blue lights of emergency vehicles lit up the dark city streets.
The attack came as weeks of peace negotiations appeared to be culminating without an agreement in sight and hours after Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, accusing him of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimea Peninsula as part of a possible deal.
