New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of the petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) challenging the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for hybrid physical hearing issued by the Registry claiming it was issued without consulting the Bar.
The Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed that the matter relates to the administrative working of the Court and on the judicial side, little can be done on this aspect.
As the Bench passed its order, SCBA President Vikas Singh took objection to the order and said, “We have no choice but to take an agitational path.”
The top court had earlier called for a report and minutes of meeting from its Secretary-General on the issue of commencing of hybrid mode of hearing from March 15, after SCBA President Vikas Singh claimed that bar members were not consulted before a decision was taken for hybrid hearings.
Expressing reservation in allowing full-fledged physical hearing in the court, Justice Kaul had said that there has been a spike in the number of covid-19 cases in the country as per newspaper reports.
Singh had pleaded with the court to start a physical hearing as many lawyers are “starving” as they are virtually daily wage earners and many of them not earning in the last one year.
The plea of SCBA sought quashing the SOP for hybrid physical hearing before the Court issued by the Registry on March 5 claiming it was issued without consulting the Bar.
It has requested the court to direct the Registry not to issue any circular without consulting the Bar.
The plea said SOP issued without consulting the Bar even though Bar is an equal stakeholder in the dispensation of the justice delivery system and the suggestions given by the Bar ought to have been taken into consideration.
The Supreme Court has decided to begin a hybrid mode of hearing (physical and virtual) on an experimental basis from March 15. Supreme Court said a pilot basis final hearing/regular matters listed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays will be heard through hybrid mode.
Supreme Court has been hearing cases through video-conference mode for almost a year following the nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): After writing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, who allegedly threatened her for raising the Sachin Waze case in the Lower House, Independent MP from Amaravati in Maharashtra, Navneet Rana on Tuesday said that she wanted to ask Sawant “on what basis would she be sent to jail”.
When asked about what she will do about Sawant’s alleged threat she said, “I have already raised the issue with Speaker and Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi. If I get time on the floor of the house, I will ask Arvind Sawant on what basis he will send me to jail.”
“I heard him say that my body language was not right while I was talking about Uddhav Thackeray. Do women have to take a class in body language from Shiv Sena before talking about Uddhav Thackeray?” she asked.
“Will I will be sent to jail on the grounds that I have spoken against Uddhav Thackeray?” Rana asked.
“I was threatened several times over the phone by many people. They even threatened acid attacks. But this is an elected MP talking. If Shiv Sena can treat an elected MP in such a manner then one can imagine how they would be treating a common woman,” she said.
“I am going to file a police complaint today,” she added.
Rana alleged in her letter to Om Birla that Sawant had threatened her by saying “Tu Maharashtra mein kaise ghoomti hai main dekhta hun aur tere ko bhi jail mein daalenge (How will you move about in Maharashtra now, I will see how you can do so and you will be also put in jail).”
“The kind of language used against me by Arvind Sawant is an insult to me and also the women of the entire country. I want strict police action against him,” she wrote.
However, Shiv Sena MP Sawant told ANI that he did not threaten Rana.
“This is a big lie. Why will I threaten her? If there were people present near her at that time, then they can say if I had threatened her,” he said.
In the Lok Sabha, several MPs including Rana had raised questions on Shiv Sena and NCP over the extortion allegations against Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Rana had said, “On what basis was a man suspended for 16 years and jailed, reinstated? During the term of the BJP government, Uddhav Thackeray had himself called up Devendra Fadnavis to reinstate Sachin Waze. Fadnavis had refused. When Thackeray government came to power, they reinstated him.”
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that Deshmukh had indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.
The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.
In the letter, Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, had said that he has been “made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers”.
He had alleged that Sachin Waze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and “repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds”.
Waze, Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), who was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiran death case, has been sent to the NIA custody till March 25, in connection with his alleged role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Mukesh Ambani’s residence. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): Information tabled in a written reply by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Tuesday said that a total of 1,40,050 cases were pending at the foreign tribunals on December 31, 2020.
He also informed that such foreign tribunals are functioning only in Assam at present.
The Ministry of Home Affairs gave the information in a written reply to the question put forth by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP PC Mohan.
“Total 1,36,064 cases were disposed of by the foreign tribunals during the last five years. 11,873 cases were disposed of last year,” the reply said.
“E-Foreigners Tribunals portal was approved by the government of India in the state of Assam to bring all the stakeholders including foreign tribunals onto a digital platform, which will provide digital support to the proceedings of the tribunals,” the reply added. (ANI)

By Pramod Chaturvedi And Kathir
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 23 (ANI): Pictures of several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, can be seen inside the temple meant to commemorate late Tamil Nadu chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and MG Ramachandran.
In the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, BJP is contesting the elections in coalition with the AIADMK.
“The temple that has been built as a memorial to Jayalalithaa is to remember and show the world the courage and sacrifices made by Jayalalithaa,” Minister of Revenue, RB Udhaya Kumar, told ANI.
Further speaking about the photos of BJP leaders inside the memorial temple, Kumar said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the central government has established and given a lot of projects to this country. He added that the construction of the AIIMS hospital in Madurai took place when JP Nadda was the Health Minister.
“Furthermore, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hails for Madurai and we are proud of this fact. This is the reason why their photos have been in the memorial temple of MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa,” Kumar added.
Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016 after suffering a cardiac arrest while MGR passed away on December 24, 1987.
Kumar further said that this is the second time he is contesting from the Thirumangalam constituency.
“The way we campaign is all about people welcoming us. So, I have a better chance of success. I have been trying for four years to build this temple,” he said.
This memorial temple was constructed under the supervision of Kumar in January. It has been build on a 12-acre site at T Kunathur near Tirumangalam.
The Revenue Minister said that they are raising 300 cows and are offering their milk to the devotees who visit the temple. (ANI)

By Ankur Sharma
New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday informed Lok Sabha that a total of 94 cases have been registered regarding terror funding.
In a reply to a question on whether cases of terrorist funding in various parts of the country have come to the notice of the government and if Government proposes to investigate them Home Ministry said, “”Police” and “Public Order” are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. therefore, State Police has the primary responsibility of prevention, detection, registration, investigation and prosecution of crimes.”
“Besides, the Central Government has also entrusted 94 cases of terror funding to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for investigation, so far,” MHA said.
The whole gamut of terror financing has been criminalised under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, which is the principal legal regime against terrorism including terror financing. The Law Enforcement Agencies of the Centre and the States take action against offences of terror financing as per the extant provisions of law,” the Ministry said. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Tuesday said that the foreigners covered under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) may submit applications for grant of Indian citizenship after appropriate rules are notified by the Central Government.
“The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) has been notified on December 12, 2019, and has come into force from January 10, 2020. The foreigners covered under this Amendment Act may submit applications for grant of Indian citizenship after appropriate rules are notified by the Central Government,” said Nityanand Rai replying to Congress MP VK Sreekandan’s question whether the process of granting Indian citizenship to refugees under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will begin once the process of COVID-19 vaccination ends.
MoS Home further added that the Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted time up to April 9, 2021, and July 9, 2021, respectively to frame these rules.
The CAA was passed by the parliament in December 2019. The law grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and came to India before 2015.
The NRC for Assam is a record maintained by the Central Government for the people of Assam. It contains names and certain relevant information for the identification of citizens in the state. Currently, the register exists only for Assam. However, on November 20, 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah declared during a parliamentary session that the register would be extended to the entire country soon. The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India. (ANI)