Aadhaar, Love Jihad and 35A: The Supreme Court is packed today

Today, the Supreme Court will face not one, but three significant, high-profile cases concerning the entirety of the country: The issue of Aadhaar (which continues over the last hearings), Kerala's increasing reports of 'Love Jihad' and the ever-infamous Article 35A.

Aadhaar

On Aadhaar, the Supreme Court is expected to handle not one, but two petitions, both challenging the union government and its bodies' stands on using Aadhaar for verification of identity.

The first case to be heard is the one filed by the West Bengal government, challenging the union government's order mandating Aadhaar for availing welfare benefits.

The hearing will be presided over by Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan. (l)

The second case to be heard is the petition challenging the validity of the DoT order mandating linking of Aadhaar with mobile phones for subscriber verification, with the petitioner stating that the government is using an SC observation as a directive to force people to make the link.


Kerala's newfound bane, 'Love Jihad'

Chief Justice Dipak Misra will preside over a hearing concerning the apparent rise of 'Love Jihad' cases in Kerala, where Muslim boys are wooing Hindu girls and converting them to Islam on the pretext of marriage.

The particular case that has brought the topic to the mainstream in Kerala is one in which the Kerala High Court annulled the marriage of one Hadiya Shefin, born Akhila Ashokan, to Shefin Jahan.


Article 35A

One of the most controversial topics in contemporary India's internal politics (and geopolitics), Article 35A, an extra-constitutional Article which grants the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir special rights, with the main petition being a case filed by 'We the Citizens', an NGO.

While supporters of the section, which includes CM Mehbooba Mufti, say it is integral to the very existence of Jammu and Kashmir, its critics, which includes West Pakistan refugees, say that the Article confers upon them no rights that have been granted to the original residents, and that it is the biggest Constitutional fraud in Indian history.

The case will be presided over by CJI Dipak Misra.

Twitter is abuzz with conversation on Article 35A, here are a few: