Chief Justice BR Gavai to hear Waqf law, marital rape, right to religion cases
Justice BR Gavai took oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on Wednesday and became the first from the Buddhist community to hold the highest judicial office in the country. During the seven-month tenure that he is going to have as the Chief Justice, BR Gavai faces a huge backlog of social justice cases, including on the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Act, among others.advertisementBefore taking oath, Chief Justice Gavai spoke to the media and reaffirmed his commitment to reducing pendency in the courts. India Today takes a look at the issues that the new Chief Justice of India would have to take up.HUGE PENDENCY: According to the data available on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) there are 81,768 cases pending before the Supreme Court. A total of 28,553 of these are less than one-year-old. However, there is a significant number of matters that have been pending for more than five or even 10 years.
CONSTITUTION BENCH MATTERS: There are 20 pending matters before five-judge benches, five matters before seven-judge benches, and three matters before nine-judge benches in the Supreme Court.These include the right to religion matters arising out of the Sabarimala temple dispute, a labour law matter before a nine-judge bench pending since 2001, an issue of data privacy on Whatsapp and the Delhi Government's dispute with the Centre over control of services, among others.WAQF AMENDMENT ACT: More than 120 petitions were filed before the Supreme Court after Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Act on April 4. On April 17, a bench headed by the then CJI Sanjiv Khanna agreed to hear the issue of challenge to the Waf act. The bench asked the government to not touch certain provisions of the previous act and deferred the matter to be heard by a bench led by the new Chief Justice on May 15.advertisementKANCHA GACHIBOWLI FOREST LAND CASE: The Telangana government had announced it plans to auction some 400 acres of forested land adjacent to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) to build IT parks in February. This sparked widespread outrage and protests by Hyderabad University students, conservationists and others. The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice BR Gavai had intervened in the matter on April 17, issuing an immediate stay on the project, after being informed that bulldozers had been sent in to remove the trees in the "urban forest" area.This matter is now scheduled to be heard before the bench headed by Justice Gavai on May 15.POWER OF GOVERNORS TO HOLD BILLS: On April 8, a Supreme Court bench verdict restricted the power of the Governor of a State to "hold" bills passed by the legislature and imposed a timeline on the Governor and the President to take a decision on giving assent to the bills. A dispute over similar action by the Kerala Governor remains pending before the Supreme Court.MARITAL RAPE ISSUE: The issue of the criminalisation of 'marital rape' is an important legal question before the Top Court. Organisations and individuals fighting for the equal rights of women have challenged Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, which criminalise rape.advertisementThe case came to the Supreme Court in April 2022. The bench began hearing the case on October 17, 2024, but the bench headed by then Justice of India DY Chandrachud adjourned the matter as he was due to retire. The matter was not listed for hearing during the tenure of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna.DIGNITY OF JUDICIARY: Several issues have come up in the last few months which raised concerns about the dignity and role of the Judiciary. From the corruption allegations after the Justice Yashwant Varma case to statements being made by Government Ministers and even the Vice President questioning "overreach" by the Judiciary, Chief Justice Gavai will have to put the debate to rest.Tune InTrending Reel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
TMC helping infiltrators settle down in Bengal, alleges Union minister Bhupender Yadav
Union minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday accused West Bengal 's ruling Trinamool Congress of helping infiltrators from across the border settle down in the state. Yadav also alleged that incidents of attacks on women have been on the rise in the state since Mamata Banerjee became chief minister in 2011. He was addressing a press conference to commemorate the occasion of the Narendra Modi government's completion of 11 years in office. Play Video Play Skip Backward Skip Forward Mute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions and subtitles off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. "The state is not helping Central forces in identifying and deporting foreign nationals and the TMC is helping these infiltrators become residents of this land. Incidents of crime have reached alarming proportions because of the hands-off approach of the state government's policy of appeasement," Yadav claimed. To a question about post-poll violence in West Bengal after 2021 and allegations of attack on the BJP and other opposition activists in the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections, Yadav alleged that apart from those incidents, the number of attacks on common people has increased. Live Events "Think about Murshidabad, think about Malda, think about Sandeshkhali. It is a matter of national shame that a government headed by a woman chief minister has looked the other way when women faced so much brutalities and atrocities in those places," he said. Parts of Murshidabad district witnessed violence during the anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act protests in April and several families fled to neighbouring Malda district. Three people were killed in the violence. Sandeshkhali area in South 24 Parganas district had been on the boil in February last year with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, who was arrested later, and his supporters. "Not a single month passes in Bengal without reports of attacks on women being reported. When houses of people were being burnt and women and children bore the brunt of violence in Murshidabad, this administration did not take any action," Yadav said. It was left to the Centre to step in and help the state in restoring normalcy and give safety to people, said the Union minister for environment, forest & climate change. About the post-poll violence against opposition workers, he said, "I think people of Bengal, which is the land of (Rabindranath) Tagore, Vivekananda, Shyamaprasad Mukherjee and Satyajit Ray, which gifted the nation the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and (national song) Vande Mataram, will give a befitting reply in 2026." The assembly elections are due in the state next year. Yadav also flagged the issue of SSC appointment scam and the loss of job of nearly 26,000 teachers. The Union minister also accused the state government of virtually paralysing the transport sector which once boasted of a network of trams, buses and yellow taxis. He said the Centre is doing its bit to set up an integrated Metro Corridor connecting the city.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
With Trump's crackdown on LA protests, the deepening shadow of authoritarianism over the US
On June 8, President Donald Trump ordered roughly 4,000 members of the California National Guard to be deployed in the city of Los Angeles for a duration of 60 days. Under normal circumstances, their deployment would be within the authority of the governor of the state, Gavin Newsom. However, the President can, if conditions so warrant, federalise the National Guard. The conditions under which the President can undertake such an action are narrowly circumscribed. Specifically, an existing law outlines three conditions that could warrant such an action: If the United States has been invaded or faces the threat of an invasion, if it faces a rebellion, or if regular forces are incapable of maintaining law and order. Decades ago, the third condition had led to the federal deployment of the National Guard. In 1957, three years after the Supreme Court in the famous case Brown versus the Board of Education had ruled against segregation in public schools, the Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, had dragged his feet in allowing nine Black children to attend a public school in Little Rock. President Dwight Eisenhower, who was incensed with Faubus's unwillingness to implement the law, federalised the Arkansas National Guard to ensure that the students could attend the school safely. This episode, however, was a case when the federal government was convinced that local law enforcement authorities were either incapable or unwilling to guarantee the safety of the students. Furthermore, it involved an issue of implementing the civil rights of the students. On this occasion, Trump has chosen to deploy the National Guard against mostly peaceful protestors who were exercising their right of free speech which is guaranteed under the United States Constitution. Furthermore, it is far from clear that the local law enforcement authorities were unable to cope with any possible disorder that stemmed from the protests. Several issues are at play here. The protests in Los Angeles, a mostly liberal city in the largely left-leaning state of California, started in the wake of a spate of raids and arrests that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were making across the city. These actions are part of President Trump's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants across the country. The tactics have been harsh, unrelenting, and on occasion, have resulted in clashes with locals who believe that their communities are being unfairly targeted. What prompted Trump to call in the National Guard? To begin with, California, for the most part, is easily the most progressive state in the nation. Consequently, it is in Trump's political interest to take a particularly tough stance toward these demonstrators. In effect, he is throwing down the proverbial gauntlet and daring Newsom to stand up to him. Furthermore, despite the conciliatory efforts of Governor Newsom, in recent days the two have been at odds. Among other matters, Newsom has publicly threatened that California would stop sending federal taxes to Washington DC if Trump withheld federal funds that are owed to California. It is highly unlikely that Newsom would take this step. However, his willingness to demonstrate some spine has, no doubt, piqued Trump. This is also not the first time that Trump has sought to use the National Guard to quell demonstrations. In 2020, when there were widespread protests in Washington DC — another liberal city — Trump had asked the governors of several states to send in their National Guard troops to the nation's capital. These protests were part of a nationwide movement following the police killing of George Floyd in the city of Minneapolis. Some governors had complied with his demand but others had refused to do so, infuriating Trump. In the wake of Trump's decision to federalise the National Guard and order them to Los Angeles, Governor Newsom has upped the ante. On June 9, he sued the Trump administration on the grounds that the deployment of the National Guard violates California's sovereignty. How the court will decide is uncertain. It is of course possible that it will rule in favour of California as prima facie the deployment does not really meet the criteria spelled out in the current law. However, as this decision is awaited, the stationing of the National Guard in Los Angeles is likely to only worsen tensions across the city. The writer is a Senior Fellow and directs the Huntington Program on Strengthening US-India Relations at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Trump's policies assure China an edge in the race for AI dominance
Their tariff war may be facing a stalemate, but the competition for technological supremacy between the US and China is shifting into high gear. As the two countries battle for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI)—with productivity and geopolitical gains expected—one question looms large. Will China's AI capabilities catch up with or even surpass those of the US? Driving this trend is a series of policies introduced by US President Donald Trump's administration. Trump's presidency marks a dramatic break from the commitment to openness that has underpinned America's technological leadership for decades. Measures intended to bring innovation back to the US may boomerang and end up paving the way for Chinese dominance. Also Read: China began de-risking its economy well before Trump's trade fury The evolution of the digital economy may provide some insight into how today's AI race will play out in the wake of Trump's policies. In the 1990s, the US led the internet revolution, dominating the pivotal 'zero to one' phase by quickly moving innovations from lab to market. This fuelled what many lauded as the 'new economy,' characterized by rapid growth, strong productivity gains and low inflation. China, initially a follower, later injected remarkable dynamism into its digital economy by scaling its own innovative technologies. China's digital development unfolded in three stages. The first was copy-and-follow: from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, Chinese firms mirrored US models, launching web portals and online services that drove explosive user growth. The second stage was localization and improvement. As China's digital ecosystem matured between 2005 and 2015, Chinese tech companies began to leverage their deep understanding of domestic users and market conditions to fine-tune their services. Platforms like WeChat and Taobao not only adapted US concepts, but also built on them, eventually surpassing Western counterparts such as WhatsApp and eBay in the Chinese market. Also Read: Tesla's China skid: Blame market forces, not politics The third stage has been marked by breakout innovations. Over the past decade, Chinese tech companies have shifted from imitation to innovation, pioneering new digital models and even overtaking foreign competitors. The most strikingly successful example is ByteDance's TikTok, which positioned China at the forefront of online culture, reshaped social media, and forced US firms like Meta to play catch-up. This dynamic is already evident in fields like renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs). AI will be no exception. Following the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, marking AI's transition into its mass-adoption era, China quickly demonstrated its ability to copy Western models. The release of DeepSeek in January signalled China's entry into the localization and improvement stage, as the company's R1 model was 30-50 times cheaper to use than that of OpenAI. By February, the performance gap between the best Chinese and US models had narrowed to 1.7%, down from 9.3% in 2024. And while it took ChatGPT two months to reach 100 million active users, DeepSeek reached that mark in seven days. Also Read: Apple's Hotel California trap: It can check out but not leave China One of China's key advantages is its deep pool of engineering talent. The country produces four times as many STEM graduates annually as the US. Beyond sheer size, this 'engineer dividend' reflects a strong work ethic and a pragmatic mindset geared toward complex, hands-on optimization, as demonstrated by DeepSeek's system architecture. With more than 1 billion internet users and a diverse industrial base, China also offers unparalleled conditions for deploying, testing and refining AI applications. China accounts for nearly 30% of global manufacturing output, generating vast amounts of data. In 2019 alone, its manufacturing sector produced 1,812 petabytes of data and we estimate that figure reached 2,435 PB in 2024. Energy is another critical factor. In 2023, China generated approximately 9,456 terawatt-hours of electricity—32% of the global total and more than double the US output of 4,178 TWh—giving it a major advantage in powering the large-scale data centres essential to widespread AI adoption. Also Read: Ajit Ranade: The success of 'Made in China 2025' alarmed the West America's position in the AI race is further undermined by Trump's cuts to research funding and immigration restrictions. In February, 170 employees were laid off, including AI experts, at the National Science Foundation. The agency's budget faces a cut of more than 50%. These cuts—together with the National Institutes of Health's delayed funding allocations and the freezing of roughly $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University—risk stalling foundational research and impeding AI innovation. Meanwhile, restrictive immigration policies will likely make it harder for the US to attract and retain global talent, potentially triggering a reverse brain drain as skilled Chinese tech workers return home to take up well-paid positions in a growing sector. While the Trump administration has backed massive infrastructure initiatives like Stargate—a proposed $500 billion AI data centre to be built by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank—such projects risk reinforcing Big Tech's dominance and stifling the innovation needed to achieve transformative technological breakthroughs. Also Read: DeepSeek's R1 may be the first of many AI super-apps to come But the deeper issue lies in America's shift away from economic openness. As US companies like OpenAI become increasingly closed, Chinese firms are embracing open-source strategies. And while Trump's trade and immigration policies drive away global talent and international collaborators, China is actively marketing its low-cost AI models to its trade partners. No doubt, China faces internal challenges, compounded by US trade restrictions that have limited its access to advanced semiconductors. Domestically, Chinese policymakers must strike a delicate balance between encouraging innovation and enforcing strict data controls. But while neither side has an easy path to AI dominance, Trump's MAGA agenda may inadvertently help make China great again. ©2025/Project Syndicate The authors are, respectively, a senior fellow and deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and a scholar at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
