National News
Places of Worship Act: Centre yet to file counter affidavit, SC to hear petitions on Feb 17

New Delhi, Feb 14: The Centre is yet to file its counter affidavit to a clutch of petitions pertaining to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, though the Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday the pleas challenging the validity of the contentious law, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.
As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan will resume hearing the matter on February 17.
In an application filed before the apex court on January 21, the Committee of Management of Mathura’s Shahi Masjid Eidgah pleaded that the right of the Centre to file its reply in the matter should be closed. The application said that in an order passed on December 12, 2024, the apex court noticed that the Union government had not filed its reply to the petitions challenging the 1991 Act for over three years and directed that a common counter affidavit be filed by the Centre within four weeks.
The mosque committee said that the Union of India is “deliberately” not filing its counter affidavit with the intention to delay the hearing, and thereby, obstructing those who are opposing the challenge to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 in filing their respective written submissions, as the stand of the Centre would have a bearing on the same.
The Shahi Masjid Eidgah’s application contended that since the Supreme Court has fixed the date of hearing of the batch of petitions as February 17, “it would be in the interest of justice if the right of the Union of India to file its counter affidavit/ reply/pleadings/submissions is closed”.
In March 2021, a Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) S.A. Bobde sought the Centre’s response to the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay challenging the validity of certain provisions of the law, prohibiting the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.
The plea said, “The 1991 Act was enacted in the garb of ‘public order’, which is a State subject (Schedule-7, List-II, Entry-1) and ‘places of pilgrimages within India’ is also State subject (Schedule-7, List-II, Entry-7). So, the Centre can’t enact the Law. Moreover, Article 13(2) prohibits the State from making a law to take away fundamental rights but the 1991 Act takes away the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs, to restore their ‘places of worship and pilgrimages’, destroyed by barbaric invaders.”
It further added, “The Act excludes the birthplace of Lord Rama but includes the birthplace of Lord Krishna, though both are incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the creator and equally worshipped throughout the world, hence it is arbitrary.”
In an interim order passed on December 12, 2024, CJI Sanjiv Khanna-led Special Bench had ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders.
The CJI-Khanna bench had asked the Union government to file within four weeks its reply to the batch of petitions challenging the validity of the Places of Worship Act (Special Provisions), 1991.
Education
CBSE pattern in Maha govt schools from academic year 2025-26: Education Minister Bhuse

Mumbai, March 20: Maharashtra Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse announced on Thursday that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) pattern will be implemented in government schools across the state from the academic year 2025-26.
Textbooks under CBSE will be made available in Marathi by April 1.
The Education Department has issued instructions to the schools governed by the state education boards to implement the CBSE curriculum, the Minister told the Legislative Council.
The minister replied to the question raised by the BJP legislator Prasad Lad. He wanted to know whether the Steering Committee has approved the curriculum plan of the CBSE especially when the implementation of the National Education Policy for schools from class 3 to 12 is underway in the state.
“CBSE pattern will be implemented from the academic year 2025-2026 and the government has taken this decision with an aim of improving the quality of students in the state,” said the minister.
His announcement comes days after the Steering Committee had approved the State Curriculum Framework in relation to the school education department.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had reviewed the work of all the departments including the school education department for the next 100 days.
Accordingly, he had expressed confidence in the meeting of the School Education Department that Maharashtra would once again come to the forefront of school education.
The Chief Minister directed that the Education Department should take steps for quality education.
He has also directed the School Education Department about the adoption of the CBSE pattern in the state government schools by making necessary changes.
National News
Mumbai court grants mutual consent divorce to Yuzvendra Chahal, Dhanashree Verma

Mumbai, March 20: A family court in Mumbai’s Bandra on Thursday allowed a mutual consent divorce plea filed by cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and choreographer Dhanashree Verma.
Dhanashree and Chahal got engaged in 2020 and married in December of the same year in a private ceremony in Gurugram. “Divorce has been granted. The marriage has been dissolved. They are no longer husband and wife. The petition for divorce by mutual consent has been accepted,” Yuzvendra Chahal’s lawyer told media.
A day before, the Bombay High Court allowed an application filed by the estranged couple seeking waiver of the cooling-off period in their ongoing mutual consent divorce proceedings.
A bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay HC directed the family court to decide the divorce petition on Thursday itself considering Chahal’s participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).
The leg-spinner was picked by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 18 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.
The Justice Jamdar-led Bench took note of the fact that the parties had been living apart for over two and a half years and had duly complied with the consent terms regarding the payment of alimony arrived at during the mediation process.
Under Hindu law, if the husband and wife have been living separately for one year or more, they may apply to obtain a decree of divorce by mutual consent. However, under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, a statutory cooling-off period of at least six months from the date of presentation of the divorce petition is provided, to explore possibilities of settlement and reunion between the couple.
The Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict in 2017, held that the 6-month cooling-off period is not mandatory, and the court may waive the condition if it is satisfied that there exists no possibility of parties resuming cohabitation.
The 28-year-old dancer, Dhanashree is known for her fusion dance performances that blend traditional Indian dance forms with contemporary styles.
Recently, Chahal was spotted amongst the spectators sitting next to social media star RJ Mahvash during the Champions Trophy Final. However, this was not the first time the two have been linked together.
Last year, in December, a picture of RJ Mahvash with the cricketer from a Christmas celebration went viral. The social media star then took to Instagram to set the record straight.
In a note, she wrote: “Some articles and speculations have been circulating around the Internet. It’s literally funny to see how baseless these rumours are. If you get seen with a person of the opposite gender, does that mean you are dating them? I’m sorry, what year is this? And how many people are you all dating then?” “I have been patient for 2-3 days now, but I won’t let any PR teams drag my name into this to cover up other people’s images. Let people live in peace with their friends and family during tough times.”
Chahal’s IPL journey, spanning over 160 matches, has been nothing short of remarkable. With 205 wickets to his name, he is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history, having surpassed Dwayne Bravo’s record of 183 wickets during the 2023 season. His career average of 22.44 and an economy rate of 7.8 underline his ability to combine wicket-taking prowess with miserly spells, a rare feat in the T20 format.
Chahal’s crowning moment came in 2022 when he donned the Purple Cap for Rajasthan Royals (RR), scalping a phenomenal 27 wickets in the season.
During the 2024 edition, Chahal became the first bowler in IPL history to breach the 200-wicket milestone. His IPL tally includes six four-wicket hauls, one five-wicket haul, and a hat-trick. Between 2014 and 2021, Chahal was Royal Challengers Bangalore’s go-to spinner. In 113 matches for the franchise, he scalped 139 wickets, a record that still stands as the highest for any bowler in its colours.
Despite his dominance, RCB made the surprising decision not to retain him ahead of the 2022 mega auction.
Chahal’s resurgence post-RCB was nothing short of spectacular. Representing RR in the last three seasons, he claimed 66 wickets, underlining his consistent impact.
National News
Barelvi Cleric Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Calls For Ban On ‘Chhava,’ Blames Film For Nagpur Riots

Bareilly: Barelvi sect cleric Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi has called for a ban on the film “Chhava,” alleging it was inciting communal tensions and was directly responsible for riots in Nagpur.
In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Razvi, who is also the National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Dargah Aala Hazrat, requested immediate legal action against the film’s director, producer, and writer.
Razvi claimed that the film portrayed Emperor Aurangzeb in a manner that provoked Hindu youths.
“The atmosphere of the country is deteriorating since the release of the film Chhava,” Maulana Razvi stated in his letter. “In the film Chhava, Hindu youth have been incited and provoked by showing the image of Emperor Aurangzeb as anti-Hindu. This is the reason why leaders of Hindu organisations are giving hate speeches about Emperor Aurangzeb at various places.”
Razvi specifically cited the communal riots in Nagpur on Monday a direct consequence of the film’s release.
“I immediately appealed for peace through the media and kept in touch with the Ulama and Imams of the mosque of Nagpur throughout the night to calm the atmosphere,” he said.
“The Muslims of India do not consider Emperor Aurangzeb as their idol and leader. We consider him only a ruler, nothing more than that,” Razvi added.
-
Crime3 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra6 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra5 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra6 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News5 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Crime5 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
-
Maharashtra4 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News6 months ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface