National News
Supreme Court notice on pleas against polygamy & nikah halala, hearing to begin in Oct
A Supreme Court Constitution bench on Tuesday issued notice on a batch of pleas for striking down practice of polygamy and nikah halala in Muslims and scheduled the hearing on petitions after the Dusshera holidays.
Nine petitions challenging these practices were listed on Tuesday for hearing before a five-judge bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee, Hemant Gupta, Surya Kant, M.M. Sundresh and Sudhanshu Dhulia.
The petitions have been filed by Muslim women and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay has challenged the constitutional validity of the polygamy and nikah halala. These cases were referred to the 5-judge bench by a 3-judge bench in March 2018.
On Tuesday, the apex court issued notices to the Central government, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Minorities, Law Commission, etc., and scheduled the matter for hearing after Dussehra holidays.
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, morality, and health. The plea sought a direction to declare Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, unconstitutional and violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution, insofar as it seeks to recognise polygamy and nikah-halala.
“It is well settled that Common Law has primacy over the Personal Laws. Hence, this Hon’ble Court may declare that — Triple talaq is cruelty under Section 498A of the IPC, 1860, nikah halala is rape under Section 375 of the IPC,1860, and Polygamy is an offence under Section 494 of the IPC,1860,” said Upadhyay’s plea.
In August 2017, the top court held that the Muslim practice of ‘triple talaq’ is unconstitutional and struck it down by 3:2 majority. Polygamy allows a Muslim man to have four wives, and once a Muslim woman has been divorced, her husband is not permitted to take her back even if he had pronounced talaq under the influence of any intoxicant, unless his wife undergoes nikah halala, which involves her marriage with another man, who subsequently divorces her so that her previous husband can remarry her.
In 2017 verdict, the apex court had kept open the issue of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’, while quashing the practice of ‘triple talaq’. “It is submitted that religious leaders and priests like imams, maulvis, etc. who propagate, support and authorize practices like Talaq-E-Bidat, nikah halala and Polygamy are grossly misusing their position, influence and power to subject the Muslim women to such gross practices which treats them as chattel, thereby violating their basic rights enshrined in Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution”, said Upadhyay’s plea.
Crime
Bihar: Fear grips Revenue Dept after Dy CM’s crackdown

Patna, Dec 30: A stir has been created in the Bihar Revenue and Land Reforms Department following strict action initiated by Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha.
The situation has escalated to the extent that some officials, fearing action, have written to the Governor and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking intervention.
However, Vijay Kumar Sinha has categorically stated that he will not bow to any pressure.
Responding to the unrest and resentment among officials, the Deputy Chief Minister, on Tuesday, said that the government is working solely in the interest of the people and has no intention of hurting anyone.
“Our intentions are absolutely clear. The objective is to reform the Revenue and Land Reforms Department so that it serves the public better,” he said.
Referring to the Muzaffarpur land scam, Vijay Sinha said that agricultural land was illegally transferred with the connivance of officials.
He recalled that during his tenure as Agriculture Minister, he had ordered action against the Circle Officer (CO) involved and directed that an appeal be filed in court.
“I have now taken fresh cognisance of the matter as Revenue Minister, and those responsible for creating unnecessary disputes over undisputed government land will not be spared,” Sinha said.
On officials going on leave during public interaction programs of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department in districts, Vijay Sinha said, “Once systemic reforms are implemented, the welfare of everyone—including honest officials—will be ensured.”
After assuming charge of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, Vijay Kumar Sinha is in action mode.
He has been taking meetings of the department district-wise and making decisions on the spot.
Responding to a question on Naxalism, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Naxalism has been almost completely eradicated from the country.
He added that if governance under such leadership is ensured across all states, the menace of Naxalism and extremism would be eliminated.
National News
Mumbai Road Accident: Three-Vehicle Collision On Coastal Road Injures Several; Traffic Disrupted

Mumbai: A major accident occurred on the Coastal Road after a driver lost control of his vehicle, leading to a collision involving three cars. A Mercedes and two taxis were damaged in the crash.
According to information received, both the driver and passengers sustained injuries in the accident. The incident took place on the northbound carriageway of the Coastal Road.
In an accident on the Coastal Road Northbound, in front of the Naman Building, Worli; a Mercedes car collided with two taxis. The taxi driver sustained minor injuries while a passenger in the Mercedes car suffered a left shoulder injury and has been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital. The vehicles have been removed from the scene and traffic is now flowing smoothly.
Following the accident, traffic on the Coastal Road was disrupted for some time. Worli Police rushed to the spot and are conducting further investigation.
Business
Sensex, Nifty end flat amid mixed sectoral cues

Mumbai, Dec 30: Indian benchmark indices ended Tuesday’s session almost flat, but with a slight negative tone, as gains in PSU banks, metal and auto stocks were offset by selling pressure in IT, FMCG, realty and pharma shares.
The Sensex closed at 84,675.08, slipping 20.46 points or 0.02 per cent, while the Nifty settled marginally lower at 25,938.85, down 3.25 points or 0.01 per cent.
“The Nifty has also slipped below the 21 EMA, reinforcing the short-term downtrend. Immediate support is placed in the 25,850–25,870 zone,” market watchers stated.
“A decisive break below this level could intensify bearish sentiment, while resistance is placed at 26,000,” analysts mentioned.
Markets witnessed a cautious mood as investors balanced sector-specific buying against profit booking in select heavyweights.
On the Sensex, stocks such as Eternal, Infosys, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement and Bajaj Finance ended among the top losers, weighing on the index.
On the other hand, M&M, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv and Axis Bank provided support and closed higher.
The broader market also saw mild weakness. The Nifty Midcap 100 index ended lower by 0.15 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 declined 0.28 per cent.
Sector-wise, real estate, IT and pharma stocks remained under pressure. The Nifty Realty index fell 0.84 per cent, while the Nifty IT and Pharma indices declined 0.74 per cent and 0.17 per cent, respectively.
In contrast, strong buying was seen in PSU bank, metal and auto stocks. The Nifty PSU Bank index jumped 1.69 per cent, the Nifty Metal index rose 2.03 per cent, and the Nifty Auto index gained 1.08 per cent.
Analysts said that the market ended the day on a flat note as investors preferred selective buying, with sectoral trends driving movement rather than broad-based participation.
“Fresh buying at lower levels, along with short covering in banking, auto, and metal stocks following the expiry of monthly derivative contracts, helped the Nifty recoup most of its intraday losses and close the session largely flat,” market watchers mentioned.
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