Muslim law board to file review plea against Ayodhya verdict
- The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday declined the five acres of land allotted to Muslims in Ayodhya and decided to file a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case.
- The Board argued that mosques “are essential for the religious practice of Muslims” and that “building the same mosque at some other site in situations like this is also not permissible as per Islamic Law.”
- “We, on behalf of the community at large, make it clear that the five-acre land, as directed in the present judgment, will neither balance equity nor repair the damage caused in the country,” the AIMPLB said in a separate statement. Stating that there was “no dearth” of mosques in Ayodhya, 27 of them functional, Mr. Jilani said the matter was not about a mosque but “rights to a land” and justice.
Hotels offering valet parking have liability: SC
- High-end hotels which offer valet parking cannot escape responsibility if a guest’s vehicle is stolen or damaged even if the parking slip contains a non-liability clause, the Supreme Court has held.
- “In a situation where the hotel actively undertakes to park the vehicle for the owner, keep it in safe custody and return it upon presentation of a parking slip in a manner such that the parking of the vehicle is beyond the control of the owner, a contract of bailment exists. Thus, the hotel would be liable as a bailee for returning the vehicle in the condition in which it was delivered,” a Bench of Justices Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and Ajay Rastogi observed in a recent judgment.
- The verdict came in an appeal filed by Taj Mahal Hotel on an incident which happened in 1998. A guest gave his Maruti car for valet parking and returned to find that it was stolen.
Northeast erupts in protests against Citizenship Bill move
- Students’ organisations across the northeastern States took to the streets to protest against the Centre’s move to introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill during the winter session of Parliament.
- The Bill seeks to fast-track the process of granting citizenship to six non-Muslim communities who left Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan allegedly due to religious persecution.
Drones scan CRPF camp in Naxal hub
- Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued to security forces across States affected by left-wing extremism after drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were seen hovering over a strategically important Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in the worst Naxal-violence affected district of Sukma in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar region.
- As per communication shared by ground forces, “small red and white light- emitting drones” were seen flying near the CRPF camp in Kistaram and Pallodi last month at least four times in three days.
- The drones emitted a “low whizzing sound” that drew attention of the guards, after which an alert was sounded across nearby camps, said sources. However, the mini-UAVs soon disappeared from the sky even before they could be aimed at and shot down.
Dam-hit families say they were caught unawares
- Families hit by the Sardar Sarovar dam project took part in a public hearing in Bhopal as the protests entered the second day on Sunday, explaining how communities were affected after the swelled up Narmada backwaters submerged 178 villages in August.
- The government had told the families that they would be alerted six months in advance.
- “But we were caught unawares … At sites of rehabilitation, drinking water and electricity hasn’t reached yet.”