??Who owns land in Ayodhya? Politicians and bureaucrats | ?Martyr's mother wants Agniveer scrapped | ?'Not charity, alimony is a fundamental right'

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Who owns land in Ayodhya? Politicians and bureaucrats

Following the Supreme Court's verdict allowing the construction of the Ram temple, an investigation by The Indian Express has shown how Ayodhya has seen a significant rise in land transactions involving politicians and government officials.

Who owns the land in and around Ayodhya? According to the report the following politically connected persons bought land in and around Ayodhya between 2022 and 2024:?

Prominent YouTuber Akshat Shrivastava claims that a prominent builder who bought land in Ayodhya before the official announcement of the Ram Mandir construction was able to leverage the expected surge in demand.

• The builder launched an aggressive marketing campaign with full-page advertisements featuring Bollywood celebrities —leading to a 900% increase in property prices. However, many are reportedly unable to sell their properties and find themselves trapped in an illiquid investment.
• Abhinandan Lodha's company, HOABL Realtech Private Ltd, bought 25 acres of land through 75 transactions. According to a report, most villagers sold their land to private players fearing lower rates by the government. They were paid Rs 4.15 lakh per biswa for the land they sold.

The reason for discontent? Following the election results, there was a lot of chatter about forceful land acquisition for tushed temple construction leaving many residents discontent. Many attributed this to BJP’s loss in the Faizabad constituency.

Sidenote: The journalist who broke the story dedicated it to his late daughter.

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Martyr's mother wants Agniveer scrapped

The mother of martyr Captain Anshuman Singh urged the Indian government to discontinue the Agniveer scheme, claiming it is not suitable for soldiers.

Of note: Captain Anshuman Singh was not part of the Agniveer scheme, he was posted with 26 Punjab as a medical officer in the Siachen Glacier area where a short-circuit fire in the ammunitions camp. He died while saving others.

What did Capt Anshuman Singh’s mother say? “With folded hands, I will request the government to stop the Agniveer scheme. It is for four years and it is not correct. Pension, canteen and every other facility that a soldier has been given should be continued.”

• The statement came after meeting Rahul Gandhi. A report states that ‘most of the discussion was around the army and the Agnipath scheme,’ for reasons best known to Rahul Gandhi.

Meanwhile, the Army is conducting an internal survey to assess the effectiveness of the Agniveer scheme and will pass on recommendations to the government regarding the same.

• The Armed Forces are discussing increasing the retention percentage of Agniveers from 25% to 60-70% for regular troops and 75% for technical and specialist soldiers.
• Former Navy chief Admiral KB Singh highlighted that the scheme appears primarily designed to reduce the pension bill rather than enhance national security and stated that it would degrade the combat effectiveness of the military.

'Not charity, alimony is a fundamental right'

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India affirmed that Muslim women can seek maintenance from their husbands under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Why this is historic? Before this ruling, there was ambiguity about whether Muslim women could seek maintenance as the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, was enacted to nullify the Supreme Court's earlier judgment in the Shah Bano case.

• The ruling reinforces the secular nature of Section 125 CrPC, ensuring maintenance rights for Muslim women comparable to those available to women of other communities.

Of note: The Supreme Court observed that maintenance is not charity but a fundamental right of married women.

• It highlighted the importance of financial independence for homemakers, emphasizing their rights to joint accounts and ATM access.

The details:? Justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih emphasized that the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, does not override Section 125 CrPC.

• The Court dismissed a Muslim man's petition challenging an interim maintenance order for his divorced wife, ruling that Section 125 CrPC applies to all women, not just married ones.
• The bench clarified that a divorced Muslim woman can also seek recourse under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.

ICYMI

• ?????Centre allowed an IRS officer to change name and gender in official records.
• ??Novak Djokovic walks out of BBC interview after Wimbledon controversy news.
• ??Johns Hopkins Med School will be free for most after a $ 1 billion donation.
• ? Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case: Shiv Sena leader’s son Mihir Shah admits that he was driving the car. In an unrelated move, the state government demolished an unauthorised part of the bar in which Mihir Shah partied.
• ??India became an exporter of Sniper Rifles for the first time as Bengaluru-based SSS Defence secured a major contract.
• ??Pune trainee IAS officer, who used a red beacon on a private Audi, transferred, murkier details about her appointment emerge.
• ??Billionaire Gautam Adani now wants to build ships at India’s largest port.