Modi, Rahul honour Nehru on death anniversary
New Delhi, May 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi paid homage to the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 54th death anniversary on Sunday.
"Tributes to our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary," Modi tweeted.
Rahul Gandhi paid homage to Nehru who was also his great-grandfather at Shanti Van.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee, former Vice President Hamid Ansari, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also visited Shanti Van.
Also called "Pandit Nehru" or "Chacha Nehru", Jawaharlal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889. He was the first Prime Minister and a central figure in Indian politics before and after independence.
He died on May 27 in 1964.
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SC upholds inclusion of ‘secular, socialist’ in Preamble of Constitution
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the inclusion of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, confirming their retrospective application from November 26, 1949. The court ruled that the power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 extends to the Preamble, which is an integral part of the document.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna stated, “The power under Article 368 cannot be curtailed. It will equally apply to the Preamble.” The 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which introduced these terms in 1976 during the Emergency, was challenged on grounds of its retrospective application and the lack of states’ ratification.
The petitioners, including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, argued that the amendment forced a particular economic theory on the nation and violated the original intent of the Constitution. Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contended that the Preamble reflects the will of the people at the time of adoption in 1949 and is therefore unalterable.
The court dismissed these objections, affirming that both socialism and secularism are part of the Constitution's Basic Structure. The Bench clarified that socialism refers to a welfare state ensuring equality of opportunity without negating private sector participation or individualism. It emphasised that secularism is embedded in the Constitution, particularly in the principles of equality and fraternity.
Chief Justice Khanna remarked, “Secularism has always been a core feature of the Constitution.” He added that the amendment did not impose socialism as dogma but aligned with the welfare goals enshrined in various constitutional provisions.
