New Delhi, As the Supreme Court resumes work on Monday after 43 days of summer recess, all eyes are on its hearing on Ayodhya title dispute, the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and power tussle between the Delhi and Central governments.
The Ayodhya issue assumes added significance as it is being perceived in the political circles as one of the electoral options of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the run up to general elections in 2019.
Besides the judgment on Aadhaar, the top court will pronounce a verdict on the tussle between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi over the administration of the national capital.
A Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, will also hear a number of issues including a plea by Parsi sisters on whether a woman loses her religious identity after marrying a man from a different religion and whether the ban on the entry of women between 10 and 50 years in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple on the grounds of biological factors was discriminatory and violative of the Constitution’s Articles 14, 15 and 17.
The matters listed before the Constitution bench, headed by CJI Misra, including the one on Ayodhya title case by a three-judge bench, have to be completed before October 2 — the day he retires.
The top court’s collegium, which had “in principle” decided to reiterate its recommendation for the elevation of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph to the Supreme Court, will hold meetings on the issue.
The collegium had decided to reiterate its recommendation after it was returned by the government for reconsideration.
In its meeting on May 11, the collegium decided it will resend its January 10 “unanimous” recommendation for Justice Joseph’s elevation, along with other names from Calcutta, Rajasthan, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Courts.
It was reiterated during a collegium meeting on May 16 when it decided to have further deliberation and broad-based consideration of the names of the Chief Justices as well as Judges of the high courts which are at present not represented in the Supreme Court.
The apex court will also resume hearing on a plea related to the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislation protecting unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi. It will monitor issues relating to unauthorised constructions in Delhi.
A bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur which had many a times expressed disappointment on the “misuse” of huge funds, meant for the protection of the environment and the benefit of people, for other purposes like municipal works by the states will resume hearing on the issue.
The Central government will apprise the court how it intends to utilise the huge amounts to the tune of around Rs 75,000 crore lying in the form of various funds created on the apex court’s orders for protection of the environment.
