SC junks petition seeking single "constitutional religion" for entire country
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea seeking a single "constitutional religion" in the country, asking the petitioner can he prevent people from following their respective religious faiths.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia asked the petitioner from where did he get the thought of filing such a petition.
"You say there should be one constitutional religion. Can you prevent people from following their own religions? What is this?" the bench told the man who appeared as petitioner-in-person.
Petitioners-in-person are individuals who are not lawyers but have been accorded permission to present their case in court by the registrar. The instant petition was filed by Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Manveer Singh.
"What is this? What do you want in this petition?" the bench asked one of them who was present before it.
The petitioner, who said he is a social activist, told the bench he has filed the public interest litigation (PIL) under Article 32 of the Constitution on behalf of the people of India seeking "one constitutional religion".
"On what basis?" asked the court.
The bench said the petition sought quashing of a constitutional order of 1950. It, however, did not mention which constitutional order it was referring to.
The court then dismissed the petition.
Article 32 of the Constitution extends to the citizens of the country the right to approach the apex court through appropriate proceedings if they feel their fundamental rights have been violated.
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Death toll rises to nine; search ops continue at Bargi Dam
Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
