Congress Outfoxed On Kashmir, Admits Party Leader Amid Divide

  • The government’s move to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 has split the Congress down the middle. More and more prominent members of the leading opposition party are coming out in support of the radical decision, which also includes the state’s bifurcation into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
  • Lok Sabha lawmakers met with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi today before the Kashmir move was taken up in the lower house, in an attempt to present a stronger, united front.
  • Sources say Sonia Gandhi, presented with the options to support or oppose the move, said “We will oppose it and our opposition is based on the manner in which the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the state assembly, have not been consulted.”

Ayodhya hearing: No Muslims were allowed to enter the disputed structure since 1934, says Nirmohi Akhara

  • Nirmohi Akhara, one of the parties in the politically-sensitive case of the Ayodhya land dispute, told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that no Muslims were allowed to enter the structure since 1934 and it has been in exclusive possession of the Akhara.
  • A Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, was told by senior advocate Sushil Jain, appearing for Nirmohi Akhara, that it was seeking management and possession of the area. 
  • The Akhara counsel told the court that its suit was basically for belongings, possession and management rights. “I am a registered body. My suit is basically for belongings, possession and management rights,” said the Akhara counsel.

Bill for more Supreme Court judges gets Lok Sabha nod

  • Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday told the Lok Sabha that judges in the higher judiciary should be careful about their observations in ongoing cases and should be pertinent to the case they are hearing.
  • Mr. Prasad made these remarks during the passage of a Bill to increase the strength of judges in the Supreme Court from 30 to 33 in addition to the Chief Justice of India.
  • The Minister said that at times, judges made remarks about government policy that are arrived after due processes.

Holiday declared for schools and colleges in Pune, more rains predicted

  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday has forecasted light to moderate rains for Mumbai, and heavy rains in isolated places in adjoining Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts.
  • IMD had alerted Pune, Satara, Nashik, Kolhapur, Palghar and Thane districts with heavy rain expected till Thursday (8 August) according to The Indian Express.
  • Officials at the IMD stated that there were at least three weather systems that were causing such heightened rainfall in Maharashtra. They had also issued a red alert for Pune on 7 to 8 August.