Travelling to Delhi soon: Here’s what CM Bommai said about cabinet expansion
Chitradurga (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he will soon be travelling to New Delhi to meet BJP central leadership to discuss the cabinet exercise, but maintained suspense on whether it will be expansion or reshuffle of the Ministry.
He said the BJP high command will finally decide on who has to be inducted into the cabinet.
"I will soon be going to Delhi (to discuss cabinet expansion)," Bommai told reporters in response to a question.
To a question whether opportunity will be given to seniors from the district, which has been subjected to "step motherly" treatment, he said, "it is not step motherly treatment, due to political situation, representation could not be given (to Chitradurga), will try to give representation."
Asked whether leaders who had resigned from the Ministry following certain allegations (like K S Eshwarappa, Ramesh Jarkiholi) will be inducted into the Ministry as some of them have reportedly met party leaders, the Chief Minister said, "I can't respond to guess questions... all aspirants make attempts, but finally it is the high command which decides."
Responding to a question whether it will be expansion or reshuffle of the cabinet, he merely said, "wait and watch."
Earlier, Bommai on Tuesday had said that he will be travelling to New Delhi this week to discuss with the party leadership on the cabinet exercise.
The CM has been under intense pressure for some time now, over expansion and rejig of Cabinet not taking place, to make way for the fresh faces, ahead of assembly elections next year.
Though there were reports of Cabinet expansion by filling in six vacant posts or some kind of a rejig by dropping a few and inducting equal number of new faces, also talks that- Gujarat like complete top to bottom overhaul of the state ministry- may take place, nothing has happened so far, and many aspirants feel it is "too late now" with polls fast approaching.
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SC dismisses pleas seeking review of 2023 verdict declining legal sanction to same-sex marriage
New Delhi, Jan 9: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of pleas seeking to review its October 2023 verdict declining legal sanction to same-sex marriage.
A five-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, B V Nagarathna, P S Narasimha and Dipankar Datta took up about 13 petitions related to the matter in chambers and dismissed them.
"We do not find any error apparent on the face of the record. We further find that the view expressed in both the judgements is in accordance with law and as such, no interference is warranted. Accordingly, the review petitions are dismissed," the bench said.
It said the judges have carefully gone through the judgements delivered by Justice (since retired) S Ravindra Bhat speaking for himself and for Justice (since retired) Hima Kohli as well as the concurring opinion expressed by Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, constituting the majority view.
The bench also rejected a prayer made in the review petitions for hearing in an open court.
According to practice, the review pleas are considered in chambers by the judges.
The new bench was constituted after Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the present CJI, recused from hearing the review petitions on July 10, 2024.
Notably, Justice P S Narasimha is the only member of the original Constitution bench comprising five judges which delivered the verdict, as former CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices S K Kaul, Ravindra Bhat and Hima Kohli have retired.
A five-judge Constitution bench led by then CJI Chandrachud on October 17, 2024, refused to accord legal backing to same-sex marriages and held there was "no unqualified right" to marriage with the exception of those recognised by law.
The apex court, however, made a strong pitch for the rights of LGBTQIA++ persons so that they didn't face discrimination in accessing goods and services available to others, safe houses known as "garima greh" in all districts for shelter to members of the community facing harassment and violence, and dedicated hotlines in case of trouble.
In its judgement, the bench held transpersons in heterosexual relationships had the freedom and entitlement to marry under the existing statutory provisions.
It said an entitlement to legal recognition of the right to union, akin to marriage or civil union, or conferring legal status to the relationship could be only done through an "enacted law".
The five-judge Constitution bench delivered four separate verdicts on a batch of 21 petitions seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriages.
All five judges were unanimous in refusing the legal recognition to same-sex marriage under the Special Marriage Act and observed it was within Parliament's ambit to change the law for validating such a union.
While former CJI Chandrachud wrote a separate 247-page verdict, Justice Kaul penned a 17-page judgement where he broadly agreed with the former's views.
Justice Bhat, who authored an 89-page judgement for himself and Justice Kohli, disagreed with certain conclusions arrived at by the former CJI, including on applicability of adoption rules for such couples.
Justice Narasimha in his 13-page verdict was in complete agreement with the reasoning and conclusion of Justice Bhat.
The judges were unanimous in holding that queerness was a natural phenomenon and not an "urban or elite" notion.
In his judgement, the former CJI recorded Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's assurance of forming a committee chaired by the cabinet secretary to define and elucidate the scope of entitlements of such couples in a union.
The LGBTQIA++ rights activists, who won a major legal battle in 2018 in the Supreme Court, which decriminalised consensual gay sex, moved the apex court seeking validation of same-sex marriages and consequential reliefs such as rights to adoption, enrolment as parents in schools, opening of bank accounts and availing succession and insurance benefits.
Some of the petitioners sought the apex court to use its plenary power besides the "prestige and moral authority" to push the society to acknowledge such a union and ensure LGBTQIA++ persons led a "dignified" life like heterosexuals.
