Daily Bulletin: Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to face Rajya Sabha test; SC to hear pleas challenging Article 370 abrogation; day's top stories

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to be introduced in Rajya Sabha soon The Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 late on Monday night, after a heated debate which also saw a member tearing up the bill in the House. The Bill will soon go to the Rajya Sabha where the ruling party does not enjoy a majority. The Bill seeks to provide citizenship to illegal non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan. Responding to criticism from the Opposition, Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Lower House that “there will be no discrimination based on religion”. “Citizenship Bill is not violative of Article 14 of Constitution as it aims to give citizenship to persecuted people,” he said. He also hit out at the Congress adding that if India had not been divided on religious lines, there would have been no need for such a bill. 11-hour North East bandh begins to protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill The 11-hour North East bandh called by an umbrella body of students’ organisations of the region to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill began at 5 am on Tuesday. The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), backed by various other bodies and political parties, will observe the shutdown till 4 pm against the Bill which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday. Security was beefed up in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. Nagaland has been exempted from the purview of the bandh in view of the ongoing Hornbill Festival there. The Manipur People Against CAB (Manpac), which was spearheading the agitation in the state, has announced a suspension of its stir on Monday after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said it would be brought under Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime. Petition seeks judicial enquiry, CBI probe into Delhi’s Anaj Mandi fire A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking judicial inquiry and a CBI probe into a massive fire in the Anaj Mandi area of the National Capital, which had claimed the lives of 43 people and left several injured. The petition filed by advocate Awadh Kaushik demanded strict guidelines to be framed to ensure that such incidents do not take place in future. Kaushik sought judicial enquiry by a retired Delhi High Court judge or investigation by the CBI or any other central investigating agency into the matter to bring the culprits to justice. “The delinquency, felony and laxity on the part of the authorities concerned is nothing but a criminal offence having been committed by them with common mindset,” the plea stated. SC to hear pleas challenging abrogation of Article 370 The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear from today a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre’s abrogating the provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice NV Ramana will commence the hearing on a batch of petitions including that of private individuals, lawyers, activists and political parties like National Conference, Sajjad Lone-led Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference and CPM leader Mohd Yousuf Tarigami. On Monday, a bench headed by Justice NV Ramana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Raju Ramachandran to come prepared in the matter. The bench also asked the parties to prepare a common compilation of all the documents so that hearing of the matter becomes easier. Uttar Pradesh cabinet to set up 218 fast track courts to hear rape, child sexual abuse cases The Uttar Pradesh cabinet decided to set up 218 fast track courts in the state to deal with rape and child sexual abuse cases on an urgent basis. The move comes after the Yogi Adityanath government came under fire over the Unnao rape-murder case in which the victim was burnt alive a year after she filed a rape case. The state cabinet has decided to set up 218 fast track courts to expedite trial in rape cases and cases of crime against minors. The government will set up 144 fast track courts to hear rape cases and 74 courts to hear matters related to crimes against children. YS Jaganmohan Reddy hails encounter, mulls bill for rape cases Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy praised Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the state police over the encounter of the four accused involved in the brutal rape and murder of veterinary doctor Disha. Jagan announced that his government would table a bill in the ongoing session of the Legislature for laws to ensure speedy trial of cases involving crimes against women. Jagan who delivered an emotional speech in the Assembly opined that there was a need for stronger laws and speedy disposal of cases. Liverpool, Chelsea to learn Champions League fate It will be all to play for when defending champions Liverpool take on Salzburg on the final match-day of the UEFA Champions League group stage with a place in the knockout stage at stake late on Tuesday. Jurgen Klopp’s men lead by just one point in the Group E standings with 10 points, but will guarantee a place in the knockouts with a win. Second-placed Napoli host the already-eliminated Genk in the group’s other game. Group F, the Group of Death will witness Inter Milan host already-qualified Barcelona, whereas Dortmund host eliminated Slavia Prague. Both Inter and Dortmund still has a chance to go through. In Group H, Chelsea, who face stiff competition from Ajax and Valencia host French outfit Lille. Ajax leads the group with 10 points, ahead of Valencia and Chelsea, with eight points each. Winless Lille have been knocked out following just one draw and four losses.