Medical Termination of Pregnancy
The Union Cabinet has approved the amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, which will help strengthen women’s reproductive rights and prevent unsafe abortions along with giving its nod to extend the upper gestation limit for abortion from the existing 20 weeks to 24 weeks
Enemy Property Act
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is going to lead a Group of Ministers (GoM) as they seek to dispose of what is believed to be 9,400 'enemy properties', with a total estimated value of Rs 1 lakh crore.
Sub-Categorization of OBC
The Union Cabinet recently approved a six-month extension in the tenure of the commission to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBC), which had been appointed in 2017 with the initial deadline of 12 weeks.
NIA Act Challenged by Chhattisgarh Government
The Chhattisgarh government recently filed a petition, citing Article 131 to challenge the Constitutional validity of the National Investigation Act, 2008. The petition contends that the NIA Act is ultra vires the Constitution and beyond the legislative competence of Parliament.
Minority Institutions and Supreme Court Judgement
Recently the Supreme Court held that States can regulate minority institutions i.e, the state is well within its rights to introduce a regulatory regime in the “national interest” to provide minority educational institutions with well-qualified teachers in order for them to “achieve excellence in education.
Tenth Schedule and Power of Speaker
The Supreme Court recently in KeishamMeghachandra Singh v. The Hon’ble Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly, pronounced a significant judgment in relation to the Speaker’s power to disqualify members of the legislative Assembly on the grounds of defection.
Transfer of Community Resources
The Supreme Court recently asked the Government not to transfer “invaluable” community resources like village water ponds to a few powerful people and industrialists for commercialisation of the property as many areas of the country perennially face water crisis and access to drinking water is woefully inadequate.
Right to Protest
Lately, there have been instances of protests in various parts of the country against CAA and NRC and the police action following the same. The recent example is of the police action in a university in Delhi, which has gained wide criticism throughout the country and has opened the debate on the relevance of ‘Right to Protest’ which is derived from Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
Transgender Person (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, with an objective of protectingthe rights of transgender persons and their welfare, has come into force on 10th January 2020
Settlement of Bru Tribe in Tripura
Recently, a quadripartite agreement was signed among the Centre, state governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives to facilitate permanent settlement of Bru refugees in Tripura with a Rs 600-crore rehabilitation package. This agreement seeks to end the 23 years old Bru refugee crisis.
