HC gives Dec 16 convicts 7 days to file final appeals

NEWDELHI: Holding that the four December16gangrapeandmurder convicts have to be hanged together, the Delhi HC set a seven-daydeadlineforthemtoavail remaining remedies but refused to stay a trial court order indefinitely postponing their execution. The Centre and the Delhi governmentmovedSC,challenging the rejection of their plea against the January 31 order staying “till further orders” the execution of all four.

NEWDELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday formed a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, meeting a three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court, which in November awarded a disputed plot of land in the holy city to Hinduclaimantswhobelievethe site marks the birthplace of the revered god.

The decision, acclaimed by allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led government and Hindu religious figures, was announced in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in line with a court directive that a scheme be prepared before February 9 to form such a trust and the land be transferred to it for the temple’s construction.

At the same time, an alternative plot of 5 acres to be given to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board has been identified and was approved by the UP state cabinet on Wednesday for the construction of a mosque. It was notcleariftheSunniWaqfBoard would accept the land, situated in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya district.

“I am happy to share with my fellow Indians that important decisions have been taken with regard to Ram Janmabhoomi. These are in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme

NEW DELHI: The Union government saidon Wednesday there is no plan to make social media users verify their accounts through Aadhaar authentication yet – an idea that has come upseveraltimesincourtcasesas a measure to combat fake news and curb child pornography on the internet.

The disclosure was made by electronics and information

Court of India,” Modi said in ParliamenttochantsofJaiShriRam by members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) .

“TheShriRamJanmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra will be formed. This is the trust that was to be formed in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court of India,” he said, adding that the entire 67.703 acres of land acquired in Ayodhya by the government would be transferred to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra . technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in a written answer to a question from a Lok Sabha member.

“Thetrustwillbeautonomous and independent to take decisionsonissuesrelatedtorenovation and construction of the Ram temple,” Modi added.

Home minister Amit Shah said the trust will have 15 members, including one from the Dalit community.

The home ministry said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra will have its office in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash neighbourhood.

“There is no proposal with the ministryofelectronicsandinformation technology (MeitY) to link social media profiles of users with their Aadhaar number(s),” Prasad’s reply said, while also adding that the government was taking several steps to curb child pornography which, he described, as a “serious menace”.

“Revengepornisalsorisingin the country,” the statement added.

TheAadhaarlinkingproposal was first put forward in a petition filed in the Madras high court in July 2018.