
Cairo: Egypt's apex court on Sunday struck down two laws as illegal by which upper house of Parliament and the Constituent Assembly were elected, dealing a major blow to the ruling Islamists' grip on power. In its ruling, the Supreme Constitutional Court said the law governing the elections of the Islamist-dominated Shura Council was unconstitutional as well as the criteria set for the selection of the Constituent Assembly members.
Presiding Judge Maher al-Beheiry said the Council should remain in place until the election of a new parliament. Today's ruling came in response to several challenges filed by lawyers against the two laws, state-run MENA news agency reported.
President Mohammed Mursi had set up the 100-member Constituent Assembly to draw up the country's first post-revolution Constitution after the ouster of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. The constitution was adopted by a nationwide vote in December.
Opposition parties have been accusing Mursi of using the Council to rush through an Islamist agenda and laws that have too many loopholes. Of the Council's 270 members, 180 were elected, and Mursi appointed the other 90....
more

08:35 PM, Jun 02, 2013

Mumbai: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the UPA government of "degrading" constitutional institutions and endangering the federal structure of the country. "All our constitutional institutions are being degraded. If we don't give strength to our constitutional institutions, all systems will be finished," Modi said. "A democracy functions according to systems. It cannot be based on individuals. People may come and go, but the system of democracy is...

03:57 AM, May 03, 2013

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Altamas Kabir on Sunday cautioned judges against interfering in the government's policy matters, unless these were in conflict with the statute, and also against making unnecessary comments on constitutional authorities. "Unnecessary comments should not be made...I agree on that," Chief Justice Kabir said replying to a question on the gag provision in the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill which is before the Rajya...

05:32 AM, Apr 08, 2013

Lauding the effectiveness of social media, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said the freedom that comes out of using it needs to be regulated. ...

02:05 PM, Mar 24, 2013

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday called for a nationwide political initiative to recast the Constitution along federal lines, scrapping of all central schemes and provisions for direct transfer of 50 per cent of central taxes to states. ...

02:10 AM, Mar 19, 2013

Weeping and shouting, a sea of Hugo Chavez's supporters paraded his coffin through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday in an emotional outpouring that could help his deputy win an election and keep his self-styled socialist revolution alive. ...

06:00 AM, Mar 07, 2013

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer, silencing the leading voice of the Latin American left and plunging his divided oil-rich nation into an uncertain future. ...

08:09 AM, Mar 06, 2013

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the party would be stronger if its constitution was implemented in letter and spirit. ...

03:21 AM, Feb 05, 2013

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is being treated for "respiratory deficiency" after complications from a severe lung infection, his government said, pointing to a deepening crisis for the ailing 58-year-old president. Chavez hasn't spoken publicly or been seen since his December 11 operation in Cuba, and the latest report from his government on January 3 night increased speculation that he is unlikely to be able to be sworn in for another...

06:23 PM, Jan 04, 2013

Egyptian voters overwhelmingly approved a drafted by President Mohamed Mursi's allies, results announced on December 26 showed, proving that liberals, leftists and Christians have been powerless to halt the march of Islamists in power. ...

12:55 PM, Dec 26, 2012

Egypt's new constitution, drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohamed Morsi, has been approved by 63.8 per cent of voters in a two-round referendum, the supreme election committee said on Tuesday. ...

11:37 PM, Dec 25, 2012

Egypt will announce on Tuesday the official r esults of a vote on its new constitution, the head of the elections committee told state media on Monday, a step which paves the way for the formation of a new parliament in about two months. ...

01:41 AM, Dec 25, 2012

Egypt's Islamist-backed constitution received a "yes" majority in a final round of voting on a referendum that saw a low voter turnout, but the deep divisions it has opened up threaten to fuel continued turmoil. Passage is a victory for Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, but a costly one. ...

01:09 PM, Dec 23, 2012

Egyptians voted on a constitution drafted by Islamists on Saturday in a second round of balloting expected to approve the charter that opponents say will create deeper turmoil in Egypt. ...

03:47 PM, Dec 22, 2012

The Lok Sabha will on Wednesday take up the Constitutional amendment for reservation in promotion for SC and ST in government jobs or the quota bill. The bill has already been passed in the Rajya Sabha despite strong opposition from the Samajwadi Party. The bill faces more trouble in the Lok Sabha with the Samajwadi Party against it and now even BJP in two minds. ...

08:26 AM, Dec 19, 2012

Egypt's opposition called for nationwide protests against a constitution backed by President Mohamed Mursi, after a vote exposed deep divisions that could undermine his efforts to build consensus for tough economic measures. The Islamist leader won a 57 percent 'yes' vote for the constitution in a first round of a referendum at the weekend, according to state media, a margin that was less than his party had hoped for and...

09:33 AM, Dec 18, 2012

The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued whips to its MPs to to vote in favour of the quota in promotions bill amid voices of dissent that are coming not just from the principle opposition party but also the Congress. The Samajwadi Party is accusing the government of using the CBI against it, ahead of the crucial vote. ...

07:40 AM, Dec 17, 2012

Egyptians voted on Saturday on a constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation. ...

02:38 PM, Dec 15, 2012

Dalit historian Kancha Ilaiah joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on whether the Quota Bill on promotions is necessary. ...

01:36 PM, Dec 14, 2012

Egypt's main opposition alliance called for a "No" vote in the referendum on a disputed constitution rather than a boycott, hours after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's government forged ahead by starting overseas voting in diplomatic missions for expatriates. ...

02:56 AM, Dec 13, 2012