The Jamiat report said the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict shows that ‘majoritarian politics has penetrated deeply into legal recognition’ (Image credit: ANI)

New Delhi: Noting that the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order declaring the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district as a temple only validates the apprehensions and concerns that he has continuously raised since 2019. Ayodhya verdictJamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH) released a report on Friday arguing that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Places of Worship Act shows “how deeply majoritarian politics has penetrated legal recognition”.JUH said that it was just a coincidence that the report was being released on the same day when the order for Bhojshala came. Speaking at the event attended by senior lawyers, legal experts, former judges, researchers and intellectuals, JUH president Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani said the controversies did not end with the Babri Masjid issue; Rather, new controversies related to Gyanvapi, Mathura Idgah, Kamal Maula Masjid and other religious places are now arising, reopening old wounds.The report titled “A Critical Analysis of the Babri Masjid Judgment and the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 Case” provides a detailed analysis of key Supreme Court judgments, including the Ismail Faruqui case and the Ayodhya judgment, claiming that certain judicial interpretations have weakened constitutional principles relating to the protection of religious places.In particular, the report discusses the far-reaching implications of comments made in the Ismail Faruqui case, in which a mosque was not considered an essential part of Islamic practice in every circumstance. “As the judiciary increasingly accommodates Hindutva majoritarianism, Muslim holy sites have become legally unsafe, culturally contested, and politically targeted,” the report said.The report said the Places of Worship Act 1991 was designed to stabilize the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947. “Yet recent court decisions have interpreted the Act so narrowly that new claims against mosques in Varanasi, Mathura and elsewhere are now being advanced.”“The arguments made in those cases relating to essential practices, beliefs, archaeological evidence and civilizational memory are now being replicated in ongoing litigation involving the Gyanvapi Mosque in Sambhal, the Shahi Idgah in Mathura and others,” the report said.The report recommends that the judiciary should uphold the Places of Worship Act as intended and it should be strictly enforced and the protection of religious places should be treated as a constitutional obligation. It further recommended that “communal politics and historical claims should not be allowed to become instruments of legal disputes.

‘The matter is worrying’: Kiren Rijiju criticizes Rahul Gandhi over 54 foreign trips (Image credit: ANI)

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiran Rijiju have raised serious concerns about Rahul GandhiIt said that every MP is required to inform the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariat three weeks before traveling abroad.Rijiju said, “This is not permission but information. MPs can travel abroad but information will have to be given.”He said that if an MP accepts foreign hospitality, the expenses borne by the inviting agency or organization should come under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).Rijiju claimed that since 2004, MP Rahul Gandhi has reportedly made 54 foreign trips. “It is not limited to 54 trips, but how many days he stayed outside India and how much he spent,” he said.Rijiju said, “The issue of Rahul Gandhi’s undeclared and announced foreign trips has raised a serious question.”He requested Gandhiji and congress party Follow the rules and inform the authorities required information. “They have to inform the Speaker of the Lok Sabha three weeks before the proposed foreign visit. If they have to accept foreign hospitality, they have to inform the Home Ministry under the FCRA,” he said.Rijiju also asked Gandhi to explain who invited him and what expenditure was made in his name by agencies or organizations outside India.Rijiju said, “Every Indian has to follow the laws of the country, especially the MPs. If something happens, if some action is initiated, the government should not be blamed for targeting Rahul Gandhi or any particular person. The law is for everyone.”He also questioned how many days Gandhi stayed out of India and how much he spent during his foreign trips.Earlier, BJP’s Sambit Patra alleged that Rs 60 crore was spent on Gandhi’s 54 foreign trips and demanded disclosure of the same. Congress hit back and raised the question why BJP will not disclose the expenses of PM Modi’s foreign trip.

NEET UG exam (Images/PTI)

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan condemning the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG 2026 and demanding immediate action against it. National Testing Agency (NTA) and people involved in malpractices.The organization urged the government to decentralize the conduct of the NEET-UG examination by handing over more responsibility to the states and union territories, and also to restore transparency and public confidence in the examination system.In its letter, the IMA expressed ‘deep concern and deep disappointment’ over the developments surrounding the medical entrance examination, saying that repeated controversies and alleged irregularities have caused ‘extreme mental trauma, stress, hardship and uncertainty’ to lakhs of candidates and their families.Highlighting the scale of the exam, IMA said that more than 22.5 lakh students appeared for NEET-UG 2026 in over 551 cities and 5,500 centers across the country. It warned that conducting examinations on such a large scale in a single phase using physical question papers has become ‘an extremely challenging task’, raising the possibility of future leaks unless structural reforms are made.The doctors’ body demanded that NEET-UG be conducted in completely online mode in all states and union territories to reduce the possibility of question paper leaks and exam-related malpractices.It also called for a ‘credible and timely’ CBI investigation into the alleged leak, arrest of all culprits involved, setting up of special fast-track courts for daily trials and strict punishment under laws dealing with examination irregularities.Among other recommendations, the IMA called for a comprehensive and impartial investigation to identify all individuals and institutions associated with the alleged leaks along with enhanced technological security measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.The association urged the authorities to provide timely clarity on the re-examination schedule to reduce anxiety among students and set up counseling and support system for affected candidates and parents.“The medical profession is built on ethics, trust and credibility. Therefore, these same principles must be upheld in the process of selecting future doctors,” the letter said.IMA also said that repeated controversies surrounding national level entrance examinations have shaken the confidence of students who spend years preparing for medical entrance exams.The association said, “India’s students are the builders of a developed India. They deserve the assurance that their future will be determined entirely by merit, hard work and honesty.”The letter comes days after NTA announced that the re-exam of NEET-UG 2026 will be held on June 21 after canceling the May 3 exam over allegations of massive irregularities and question paper leaks.