Supreme Court to hear interim plea on Waqf Amendment Act today
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will today hear arguments on interim relief in the case challenging key provisions of the Waqf law. A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih will preside over the matter.
The petitions challenge the law’s expanded provisions that enhance the government's role in the regulation and administration of Waqf properties. As per a previous decision by a three-judge bench led by then-CJI Sanjeev Khanna, only five leading petitions will be heard, selected from a large batch of pleas. Both sides will get two hours each for arguments.
The Centre has already paused the implementation of two controversial provisions. It has assured the Court that it will not denotify properties deemed waqf under the “waqf by user” doctrine, nor will it proceed with fresh appointments to the Central Waqf Council or the state waqf boards.
The Court is expected to focus on three main issues during the hearing:
1. Whether properties declared as waqf by courts or long-term usage (“waqf by user”) can be denotified.
2. The validity of including non-Muslim members in the Central and State Waqf Boards.
3. A provision allowing the district collector to exclude a property from waqf status if found to be government land.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajiv Dhawan, Salman Khurshid, and Huzaifa Ahmadi will argue for the petitioners challenging the law, with Ejaz Maqbool as the nodal counsel.
On the opposing side, senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi, Maninder Singh, Ranjit Kumar, Ravindra Srivastava, and Gopal Shankar Narayan are expected to represent the supporters of the law. Vishnu Shankar Jain will serve as their nodal counsel.
Today’s hearing may determine whether the Court will issue interim orders on these disputed provisions pending a final judgment.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
