Patna, Jan 2: Arif Mohammad Khan took the oath as Bihar’s 42nd Governor on Thursday at Rajendra Mandapam, Raj Bhavan.

Patna High Court Chief Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran administered the oath of office and secrecy to Khan.

The ceremony was attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and other ministers.

Khan, who previously served as Kerala Governor, will succeed Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

Before taking the oath, Khan paid tribute to former President Rajendra Prasad at his memorial in Patna.

After reaching Patna on Monday, Khan told the media that he would “try to discharge his duties as per the glorious tradition of the state”.

Khan is the second person from the minority community to hold the Governor’s post in the state. Earlier, A. R. Kidwai served as Governor from August 14, 1993, to April 26, 1998.

Khan has a long and diverse political career having been associated with the Janata Party, Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress, and the BJP.

He previously served as a Union Minister alongside Chief Minister Nitish and gained prominence for his resignation from the Congress over the Shah Bano case.

On December 24, President Droupadi Murmu appointed governors for five states.

Vijay Kumar Singh was appointed Mizoram Governor, Hari Babu Kambhampati as Odisha Governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla as Manipur Governor and Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar as Kerala Governor.

The relationship between Khan and Chief Minister Vijayan was marked by frequent public disagreements. Tensions peaked over Khan’s resistance to the Kerala government’s efforts to exert influence over state universities. The dispute culminated in Khan refusing to sign several key ordinances and bills, compelling the state government to seek the Supreme Court’s intervention.

New Delhi, Jan 2: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the tagging of a plea filed by AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi seeking implementation of the Places of Worship Act, 1991 with a pending batch of matters.

The 1991 Act 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.

At the very outset, a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar ordered that Owaisi’s plea be tagged with the pending clutch of petitions, where it had imposed restrictions on registering new suits, delivering effective or final judgments, or ordering surveys in ongoing cases concerning mosques and shrines.

In an interim order passed on December 12, 2024, the CJI 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 Special Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan, 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, 1991.

As per the computerised case status, the matter is tentatively listed for hearing on February 17.

On the other hand, several intervention/impleadment applications were filed before the Supreme Court seeking the dismissal of the petitions against the Places of Worship Act.

In its application, the Managing Committee of Varanasi’s Gyanvapi Mosque said the “consequences of declaring the 1991 Act unconstitutional are bound to be drastic and will obliterate the rule of law and communal harmony.”

It said that an Article 32 petition challenging a legislative enactment must indicate the unconstitutionality of the provisions based on constitutional principles and the rhetorical arguments seeking a sort of retribution against the perceived acts of previous rulers cannot be made the basis for a constitutional challenge.

“As many as 20 suits are pending before different Varanasi courts seeking to nullify the protection accorded by the 1991 Act and to convert the character of the Gyanvapi Mosque and prevent access of Muslims to the mosque,” it said.

In a similar application, the Committee of Management of Mathura’s Shahi Masjid Eidgah said that the law was enacted by Parliament in the interest of the country’s progress, which has stood the test of time for more than 33 years.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had said that local courts were undermining the spirit of the 1991 Act by entertaining petitions and issuing orders concerning mosques.

“The manner in which local courts declared appeals admissible and issued orders on mosques and dargahs had made this Act ineffective. The Supreme Court has now stopped any effective or final decisions and prohibited survey orders until the next hearing,” added the AIMPLB.

New Delhi, Jan 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday commended the Maharashtra government for its initiatives in driving development in Maoist-affected areas of the state.

Taking to social media platform X, the Prime Minister wrote, “I laud the Maharashtra Government’s efforts to ensure all-round development in remote and Maoist-affected areas. This will certainly boost the ‘Ease of Living’ and pave the way for even more progress. A special congratulations to my sisters and brothers of Gadchiroli and the surrounding areas!”

The statement comes after 11 Maoists, including a senior leader, surrendered on Wednesday in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who spent New Year’s Day in Gadchiroli district.

Among the surrendered Maoists were eight women and three men, including two couples. They carried rewards amounting to over Rs 1 crore in Maharashtra, with additional bounties from the Chhattisgarh government.

The group included Tarakka, the head of the Dandakaranya Zonal Committee and the wife of Bhupati, a prominent Maoist leader. Tarakka had been part of the Naxalite movement for 34 years.

The surrendered individuals also included three division committee members, one deputy commander, and two area committee members. They were provided financial assistance totalling Rs 86 lakh to support their rehabilitation.

In the last year, 24 Maoists have been killed and 18 arrested in Maharashtra. Over the past six months, 27 hardcore Maoists have joined the mainstream. CM Fadnavis highlighted that the northern part of Gadchiroli has been freed from Maoism, and efforts are ongoing to eliminate it from the southern region as well.

“In the last four years, not a single youth has joined the Maoist movement. As many as 11 villages have banned Naxalites, and the C-60 soldiers have earned the trust of the people,” said Fadnavis, stressing that residents now believe in achieving justice through the Indian Constitution rather than Maoist ideology.

CM Fadnavis announced that Gadchiroli is on the path to becoming a “Steel City” with support from Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He assured that surrendered Maoists would be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

The Chief Minister inaugurated various development projects during his visit, including a bus service from Aheri to Gardewada, a green mining project, and several initiatives by Lloyds Metals. These projects involve significant investments — Rs 400 crore worth DII Plant at Konsari will provide 700 jobs; Rs 3,000 crore worth Pellet Plant and Slurry Pipeline will provide 1,000 jobs; Rs 2,700 crore Iron Ore Grinding Plant at Hedri, Etapalli will provide 1,500 jobs; and Rs 20 crore Vanya Garment Unit which will provide 600 jobs.

Fadnavis also launched the Lloyds Kali Ammal Hospital and Lloyds Raj Vidyaniketan CBSE School, which will educate 1,200 students. He inaugurated residences for police, a gymkhana, and a kindergarten.

Fadnavis interacted with villagers and security personnel in Pengunda, an extremely remote area, reaffirming the government’s commitment to bringing development to the region.