Constitution

No proposal to rework Constitution based on introduction of 'she/her': Govt

No proposal is under consideration at present to rework the Constitution based on the recent introduction of the "she/her" pronouns while referring to all genders in the Digital Data Protection Bill, 2022, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said drafting of legislations in line with the government's philosophy of empowering women is an evolving and innovative practice. He was responding to a question on whether based on the recent introduction of the "she/her" pronouns while referring to all genders in the Digital Data Protection Bill, 2022, the government plans to rework the existing pronouns in the Constitution. "Drafting of legislations in line with the government's philosophy of empowering of women is an evolving and innovative practice and no such proposal to rework the Constitution is under consideration at present," he said.

SC to set up fresh bench to hear pleas against polygamy, nikah halala

Upadhyay's plea said the injury caused to the women as practice of triple-talaq, polygamy and nikah-halala is violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution and injurious to public order

The long run vs the short run

There are no easy solutions to two important debates of our times-sustainable development and the basic structure of the Constitution, but the guiding principles are clear

Constitutional crisis looms as WB govt yet to relieve principal Secy to Guv

Constitutional crisis seems to be looming in West Bengal as the state government is yet to issue notification to replace Nandini Chakroborty, the Principal Secretary to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose.

Former Supreme Court judges who were appointed as governors post-retirement

The appointment of former judges to other constitutional posts has long been a matter of debate in India

AAP misleading people, has no faith in Constitution, alleges Delhi BJP

Delhi BJP's working president Virendra Sachdeva reacted sharply to Aam Aadmi Party's move to approach the Supreme Court over the repeated adjournments of mayoral polls for MCD

Republic Day an occasion to rededicate to constitutional values: Kharge

Quoting Dr BR Ambedkar, Kharge said, "We are Indians, firstly and lastly"

Constitution has withstood test of time: Prez Murmu on eve of R-Day

In her address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, she said India is home to one of the oldest living civilisations and is called the mother of democracy

Best of BS Opinion: Deficient regulation, structural strength, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Structural strength

The basic structure of the Constitution has authority

Just because institutions have power to do something, should they do it?

The real problem is not that govts behave badly. It's that they can behave badly. There are virtually no constitutional restrictions on their conduct

Agitations crucial in coming years to protect people's rights, says Tikait

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said that agitations and people's participation in them would be important in the coming years for protecting the rights of people, their lands and their farms. He was speaking at a farmers rally organised by the Bahujan Sangharsh Samiti in Nagpur. 'Dalit' is not a caste group but all people living in villages and working in the fields are Dalits, he said. All the people working in the farms are 'Bahujan', he added. The present government in the country does not believe in the Constitution, he alleged. Elected governments were toppled in Maharashtra as well as Madhya Pradesh, he said. Talking about the agitation on Delhi borders against the new farm laws, he said it felt like "the government was a conspirator." Allegations of insulting the Tricolour were levelled against farmers and all these conspiracies were "hatched in Nagpur", he said, without naming any organization. There were also attempts to portray the Sikh community as ...

Defending the constitutional order

In the changed political environment, India needs a process that maintains the independence and credibility of institutions

Distortion of history a danger engulfing the country, says M K Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday termed as a "danger", distortion of history and warned against falling for "imaginary stories" being floated by some as history. In his address at the 81st annual session of the Indian History Congress here, Stalin also stressed on the need for a government to remain secular. The Chief Minister said many wondered if studying history will ensure them a lucrative career but doing so is not just about getting a degree and salary. "We should study history to know ourself. Only those who have studied the past can create history in the present; can predict the future. Such history should be science-based fact. Some persons are talking about imaginary stories as history. One should not get fooled by believing them and they should not be accepted," he said. A knowledgeable society will not accept such theories, Stalin added. "The danger that has engulfed the country today is this distortion of history. The dignity of the Constitution should

'Insurgent' justice

Human rights activist and lawyer K G Kannabiran's memoir, translated into English from Telugu by his daughter, is a book worth reading and re-reading

Where is the confrontation with the judiciary possibly headed?

The SC had declared NJAC Act unconstitutional, arguing that the primacy of the judiciary in judicial appointments was embedded in the 'basic structure' of the Constitution

There was no proposal to reintroduce a modified NJAC, says Centre

The Centre further said that out of the 34 judge strength of the Supreme Court, 27 judges are working in the, which puts the vacancy to 7

SC asks Centre, states to file response on uniform healthcare standard plea

The Supreme Court Friday directed the Centre and the states to file their responses on a plea seeking directions for a uniform standard of healthcare for citizens in line with the Constitution by adopting provisions of the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath granted four weeks to the Union of India and the state governments to file their replies. The top court was hearing a plea filed by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Patients' Rights Campaign and K M Gopakumar which had also sought directions for operationalising all the provisions of the Act, as well as Clinical Establishment Rules, 2012 in order to ensure affordable and quality healthcare. The plea had sought directions for notification and implementation of the conditions for registration of clinical establishments such as observance of minimum standards, display of rates for procedures and services, compliance with the standard treatment protocol, as provided in Sections 11 and 12 of the CEA

Watching developments in other states on UCC, will decide later: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said he is gathering information regarding developments in various states and what the Constitution says vis-a-vis the "Uniform Civil Code" (UCC), and any decision on implementing it in the state, will be taken after going through them. He also clarified that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has not spoken to him in this regard. "Our party has been speaking about Uniform Civil Code for thirty years now, there is nothing new in it. Now, in some states committees have been constituted regarding implementing it. I'm gathering information regarding the developments in various states, what the Constitution says," Bommai said in response to a question. Speaking to reporters, he said, "After going through all of them, we will decide. But the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) or anyone else from the central government has not spoken to me in this regard." The Chief Minister had recently said serious discussions were going on for implementing t

Prez Murmu graces valedictory function of Constitution Day organised by SC

The President of India Droupadi Murmu on Saturday delivered the valedictory address at the Constitution Day celebrations, organised by the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi