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Ascertainment of religious character of place of worship not barred by 1991 Act: Supreme Court

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In an important observation, the Supreme Court on Friday orally observed that the ascertainment of the religious character of a place of worship is not barred by the Places of , 1991.

A bench, headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices Surya Kant and P.S. Narasimha said: “Ascertainment of religious character is not barred under Section 3 (of the Places of Worship Act, 1991).”

It told senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the masjid committee: “Suppose there is a Parsi temple and there is a cross in the corner of the area. Does the presence of Agyari make the cross Agyari or Agyari Christian? This hybrid character is not unknown in India.”

Contesting it, Ahmadi replied that the religious character of the Gyanvapi mosque, on August 15, 1947, is not in dispute. However, counsel representing the Hindu parties insisted that is strongly in dispute.

As the bench further added that the ascertainment of the religious character of a place does not fall foul of the Section 3 and 4 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, Ahmadi replied that if all these determinations are allowed to take place, the Act may become a dead letter.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, said that the Shivling should be protected.

According to Section 4 of the Act, the religious character of a place of worship existing on August 15, 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day. Section 3 of the Act says no person shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination or any section thereof into a place of worship of a different section of the same religious denomination or of a different religious denomination or any section thereof.

Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Varanasi has opposed the suit relating to the Gyanvapi mosque, saying the civil court which is hearing the case is barred from doing so in view of the 1991 Act. The Supreme Court has asked the Varanasi District Judge to decide the suit.

Maharashtra

Ekta Kapoor opens up about global storytelling at WAVES Summit 2025

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Mumbai: Recently seen at WAVES Summit 2025, Emmy Award winner and well-known producer of India, Ekta Kapoor shared some very interesting things about global storytelling. She told how Indian drama and serial formats are no longer limited to the country, but are also making their strong hold in the international market.

When Ekta Kapoor was asked how she views global storytelling after building such a big empire of content on TV and digital platforms, she replied in a candid manner as always, “The way of storytelling should be such that it connects directly to the heart.”

Ekta Kapoor emphasized that today’s audience is adopting stories from all over the world, be it Korean, Turkish, American, Spanish or European. She said, “Global platforms and networks have proved that language is no longer a barrier. People enjoy stories because of dubbing, they actually connect with the story.” She also said that in today’s world of content, the language barrier no longer matters.

Drawing attention to India’s rich heritage of stories, Ekta Kapoor said, “We have the oldest and longest tradition of storytelling. And this is our real capital, it has always been our currency.” She admitted that till now there have been some practical obstacles, which prevented Indian content from spreading rapidly across the world, but now the situation is changing and she hopes that the era of Indian stories has now begun globally.

Pointing to the global identity of the Indian film industry, Ekta Kapoor said, “Now we are getting there.” However, she also said that now we need to move beyond just ethnic stories. “Now it should be non-ethnic i.e. beyond traditional stories. I think we are standing at a turning point.”

Ekta Kapoor concluded her speech by thanking the audience and giving a clear message: Indian content must now tell stories that reach every human heart, beyond borders and subtitles. Meanwhile, she is gearing up for her next production “VVAN – Force of the Forest”, starring Sidharth Malhotra in the lead role.

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Maharashtra

Deven Bharti’s coronation: There is no room for the post of Special Commissioner in Mumbai

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Mumbai: Mumbai After Special Commissioner Deven Bharti was appointed as Mumbai Commissioner, who will be the next Special Commissioner of Mumbai or will this post also be abolished and Deven Bharti will prove to be the first and last Special Commissioner. Before Deven Bharti was appointed as Special Commissioner in Mumbai, this post did not exist in Mumbai and the department worked under the Commissioner and Joint Commissioners in Mumbai, but by making Deven Bharti a Special Commissioner, the first Special Commissioner post was created in Mumbai and before that, the post of Special Commissioner was only in Delhi.

Now who will be the next Special Commissioner in Mumbai or will this post be abolished after Deven Bharti becomes Mumbai Commissioner? Deven Bharti has been appointed by placing 11 IPS officers on site and the main contenders in this were DGP Sadanand Date, Sanjay Verma, Archana Tyagi, while for the Additional DG level Deven Bharti has been made a commissioner by ignoring senior officers. Deven Bharti started his journey as DCP of Mumbai Crime Branch, after which he was made Additional Commissioner Crime, then ATS Chief and Additional DG Corporation. Will the post of Special Commissioner in Mumbai remain or can this post be abolished after Deven Bharti becomes Commissioner? For Deven Bharti’s coronation, the DG level post was converted to Additional DG level. Earlier, this post was assigned only to DGP level officer. This post was downgraded in 2024.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar’s last emotional message on X

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar dedicated 35 years to the police department and now the Mumbai Police Commissioner has thanked all those who were with him on this journey and who also cooperated in every way possible after his retirement. Vivek Phansalkar has said in his emotional message that my family and friends who made countless sacrifices in supporting and cooperating with my duty, my colleagues who stood by me steadfastly in every challenge and all those who trusted me throughout my journey and career, supported and encouraged me. All their support is a blessing for me. I am proud that I got the opportunity to serve in the police force. I am also grateful to the people of Mumbai for giving me important responsibilities in the department.

Deven Bharti has taken charge as Mumbai Police Commissioner, while Vivek Phansalkar’s last farewell tweet was made from Mumbai Police’s Twitter X, in which Vivek Phansalkar thanked the people of Mumbai and well-wishers.

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