Rush Hour: SC proposes to stay waqf land denotification, BR Gavai proposed as next CJI and more

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The Supreme Court has said it may stay parts of the Waqf Amendment Act, 2024, including provisions allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards and the denotification of court-declared waqf properties. A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna did not issue an order to this effect but said it would hear the matter again on Thursday.

The bench verbally observed that it was considering passing an interim order to “balance equities”. The court is hearing petitions challenging the law, which came into force on April 8. The bench also asked if the Centre would now allow Muslims on Hindu temple boards and expressed concern over violent protests against the law that have broken out in parts of the country.

In West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, three people died when protests against the law turned violent on April 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has defended the law, alleging that waqf land was misused by the “land mafia” and that Muslim youths would not have to “fix punctures” if waqf properties had been used for the benefit of the community. Read on.

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has recommended Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna...

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