QBullet: Ayodhya SC Hearing Today, HS Phoolka Quits AAP
Catch all the top headlines of the day here.
advertisement
1. Supreme Court to Decide Bench Today for Hearing Ayodhya Order Appeals
Appeals challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit will come up before the Supreme Court Friday, 4 January, when it is likely to fix a date for hearing the matter. Appeals and related applications have been listed before the bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul.
When the matter last came up for hearing on 29 October, the Uttar Pradesh government counsel had made an oral request to the court to take it up urgently. But the bench of CJI Gogoi and Justices Kaul and K M Joseph did not grant the request and ordered that the appeals be listed in the first week of January before an “appropriate bench” which it said would decide the date of hearing.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Sabarimala Row Spills to Kerala Streets, Cops Respond With Op Broken Window
Hindu traditionalists and activists clashed with the police and political rivals as they took to the streets of Kerala during a dawn-to-dusk shutdown strike to protest against the entry of two women in their 40s into the ancient Sabarimala temple, causing mayhem in several parts of the state and forcing normal life to a halt.
At least 250 people, including 38 policemen, were injured in violence, the authorities said, during the strike organised by the Sabarimala Karma Samiti, an umbrella group of Hindu groups, which was supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) observed a “black day.”
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. On Donald Trump’s ‘Library’ in Afghanistan Jab at PM Modi, India’s Take
US President Donald Trump belittled India’s contribution in reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan on Wednesday, drawing a sharp reaction from New Delhi on Thursday that it was committed to long-term developmental aid in the war-torn country though it would not send in troops to fight the Taliban.
During a live telecast of the opening hour of his Cabinet’s meeting, Trump mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for purportedly talking about funding a library in Afghanistan and hinted, without saying so explicitly, that India, Russia and Pakistan should send troops there.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Delhi: Six Dead After Blast at Moti Nagar Factory Sends Building Crumbling
Six people, including a child, died after a blast took place inside a ceiling fan-making unit in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar on Thursday evening, sending the building crumbling, police said. Police said the workers were painting ceiling fans at the time. Those who were pulled out were taken to Acharya Bhikshu Hospital.
Additional DCP (West) Sameer Sharma said some people were still feared trapped inside. The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said a blast took place on the second floor of the two-storey building, when the compressor of a ceiling fan exploded, trapping several people.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. HS Phoolka Resigns From AAP
Senior lawyer and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader HS Phoolka on Thursday, 3 January, announced his resignation from the party.
"I have resigned from AAP and handed over resignation to Kejriwal ji today. Though he asked me not to resign but I insisted," he tweeted. He further said that he will be holding a press conference on Friday to explain the reason behind leaving the AAP.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Centre Ready for Elections in J&K Along With Lok Sabha If EC Wants: Rajnath Singh
Nearly a month and half after Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir assembly and a fortnight after President’s rule was imposed in the state, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament Thursday that the central government will have no objection if the Election Commission wants to hold assembly polls in J&K along with Lok Sabha elections. He said the Centre was ready to provide security forces whenever the Election Commission holds elections.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Miners Trapped in Meghalaya: Look Into It With Urgency, Question of Life and Death, SC to Centre
Expressing dissatisfaction over the progress in operations to rescue miners trapped in a flooded mine in Meghalaya, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to look into it considering its “urgency” and said it was “a question of life and death” for those trapped.
A bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to appraise it about what was being done by Friday. “Tell us tomorrow. This is not even Monday. For people who are trapped, every second counts,” the court observed while hearing a petition by advocate Aditya N Prasad seeking the court’s intervention in the matter.
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Rafale Scam in Opposition’s Mind, Says Sushma Swaraj; Congress Hits Back
The Congress staged a walk-out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday to protest external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s remarks that there was no controversy in the Rafale deal except in the minds of the Opposition party leaders.
Replying to a supplementary question asked by Congress leader Anand Sharma seeking details of the jet fighter deal, Swaraj said the issue had already been cleared after being examined by the Supreme Court.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Dense Fog in Delhi, Several Flights Delayed and Diverted
Dense fog engulfed New Delhi on Thursday morning with visibility dropping to 50 metres at Palam affecting flight schedules at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials said.
The departure of flights at the Delhi airport was put on hold between 7:30 am to 9:30 am with eight flights diverted and arrivals of many delayed.
At Safdarjung, which represents the condition in the city, the visibility dropped to 200 m. The night temperature was 6.7 degrees Celsius, which was three degrees below normal.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)