The Supreme Court on Wednesday notified 25 cases that will be heard by five-judge Constitution benches from August 29 onwards.
Some of the cases listed include pleas related to the government’s exercise of demonetisation in 2016, reservations to the economically weaker sections and a challenge to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, according to The Indian Express.
The cases will be listed on what would be the first working day of Chief Justice of India-designate Justice UU Lalit. The incumbent Chief Justice NV Ramana retires on August 26.
On August 14, Justice Lalit in an interview with The Indian Express had spoken about the need to ensure crucial cases are listed on priority in courts.
“That [listing of cases] is something which, at the institutional level, we will have to find a solution to,” Justice Lalit had said. “What has happened in last few months or years is that the matters were not being taken up maybe [because of] various reasons, maybe because of the pandemic situation, maybe because the judges couldn’t actually sit together...”
According to the records of the Supreme Court, 342 five-judge bench cases, 15 seven-judge bench cases and 135 nine-judge cases are pending as of August 1, according to The Indian Express.
Among the important five-judge bench matters coming up is petitions challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement in 2016 to ban high value currency notes in circulation. Overnight, 86% of India’s currency became worthless, throwing live and livelihoods in disarray.
Soon after the prime minister’s announcement, several petitions were filed challenging the constitutional validity of the move. These were referred to a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court in December 2016 and have been pending since then.
Some of the other cases listed by the Supreme Court:
- The issue of Parliamentarian or legislator claiming immunity from criminal prosecution for taking a bribe to give a speech or vote in the house.
- The challenge to the establishment of the Central Bureau of Investigation.
- Supreme Court’s power under Article 142 to dissolve a marriage between consenting parties.
- Granting of minority status to Sikhs in Punjab.
- The constitutional validity of religious practices of nikah halala and polygamy.
- The validity of a state law declaring all members of the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh as part of Backward Classes.
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