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Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday took a dig at the Modi-led government over alleged irregularities in several of the government projects highlighted by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) of India in its report, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unleash torrents of lies from the ramparts of the Red Fort tomorrow. He questioned whether PM Modi will have the courage to question his own government and ministers about their corruption and incompetence.

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is consecutively hearing a batch of pleas challenging abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution from August 2, except on Mondays and Fridays.

The Constitution Bench comprises the five senior-most judges of the apex court, namely CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, and Surya Kant.

A large number of petitions have been filed by political parties, private individuals, lawyers, activists, challenging the presidential order stripping the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and the action of Parliament splitting it into two Union Territories.

The purpose of the three new bills that seek to replace the Indian Penal Code (1860), Criminal Procedure Code (1898) and Indian Evidence Act is not to punish but to give justice, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.

He said the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023; Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 will protect all the rights of citizens given by the Constitution.

The Centre on Thursday introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha proposing a new mechanism to select the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (ECs) — replacing the Chief Justice of India in the three-member selection panel with a Union Cabinet minister — in effect giving the government a decisive say in appointments to the poll body.

The bill also seeks to downgrade the status and standing of the CEC and two ECs from that equivalent to a Supreme Court judge to that of the Cabinet secretary, as Section 10(1) of the bill dealing with the salary, allowances and other conditions of service states.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the Centre should wait for the Supreme Court's decision on Article 370's abrogation rather than "threatening" it, saying remarks by some BJP leaders over the sub-judice matter "almost tantamount" to contempt of court.

BJP leaders' remarks on Article 370 tantamount to contempt of court: Omar Abdullah

His comments came after Union minister Smriti Irani, while participating on the debate on the no-confidence motion against the central government in the Lok Sabha, said "Article 370 will never be restored".