A seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court ruled 4:3 Friday to overturn a key 1967 judgement on the Aligarh Muslim University, which removed minority status, but left it to another (as yet unconstituted) bench to decide if the institution should be granted this again.

The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud – who retires today – struck down an earlier ruling that said an institution incorporated by a statute could not claim minority status, but left the question as it pertains to AMU to be decided by a regular bench.

The three dissenting judges on the Constitution bench today were Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and SC Sharma, while three others – Justices Sanjiv Khanna (who will be the next Chief Justice), JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, as well as the outgoing Chief Justice, held the majority.

The bench had earlier reserved its verdict on February 1.

A 23-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly being part of the conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique has told the police that they also had “Plan B” as a backup to murder the NCP politician, sources told NDTV today. Mr Siddique, 66, was shot dead by three gunmen in Mumbai’s Bandra area on October 12.

Gaurav Vilas Apune, a resident of Karvenagar in Pune, was arrested on Wednesday, the 16th accused to be caught in connection with the high-profile Baba Siddique murder case.

He was in direct contact with wanted accused Shubham Lonkar and arrested accused Ram Kanoujia.

During interrogation, he told the police that in the backup plan, he was chosen as the shooter, sources said.

He along with Rupesh Mohol, an accused already arrested, went to Jharkhand and practised firing several rounds.

Both these accused were sent to Jharkhand by the mastermind, Shubham Lonkar, who also provided weapons to them.

According to Mumbai Police sources, Apune and Mohol went to Jharkhand on July 28 and practised firing for a day. They returned to Pune the next day and remained in touch with Lonkar.

Before going to Jharkhand, Apune told his family that he was going to Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain with friends.

The investigation has revealed that at least six shooters were hired to carry out the shooting if “Plan A” failed.

The arrested accused have said that Lonkar had assured them of Rs 25 lakh, a trip to Dubai, a flat, and a vehicle for killing the NCP leader.

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be living in Canada, was allegedly behind the murder.

Last month, Anmol was added to the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency and a Rs 10 lakh reward was announced for his arrest.

His name has also cropped up in several other cases, including the murder of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, and the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai in April.

For the third consecutive day, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed chaos over a contentious resolution seeking to reinstate demanding immediate restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The session was marked by shouting matches, physical confrontations, and a walkout by the BJP after several members of the party jumped into the well of the house and were eventually marshalled out. 

The discord began on Wednesday when a new resolution, advocating for the reinstatement of special status was introduced by the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC). The BJP, opposing the resolution, labelled it “illegal,” demanding it be withdrawn. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected this demand, saying that the House itself, not the Speaker, held the authority to reverse any resolution passed.

The discord began on Wednesday when a new resolution, advocating for the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A, was introduced by the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC). The BJP, opposing the resolution, labelled it “illegal,” demanding it be withdrawn. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected this demand, saying that the House itself, not the Speaker, held the authority to reverse any resolution passed. 

During a speech by BJP’s Leader of Opposition, Sunil Sharma, Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Sheikh Khursheed entered the assembly well, holding a banner demanding the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. BJP legislators quickly intervened, snatching and tearing the banner, leading to a brief scuffle in which People’s Conference MLA Sajad Lone supported Mr Khursheed. This followed a 15-minute adjournment of the House. 

Upon resumption, BJP members continued their protest, despite the Speaker’s calls for order. “Do not force me to take actions I do not wish to take,” he warned, as BJP members persisted in chanting slogans honouring Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Meanwhile, NC members responded with chants on the historic sacrifices made for Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy.

Tensions escalated further when Speaker Rather ordered the removal of several protesting BJP members, prompting a physical confrontation with assembly marshals. Three BJP MLAs were eventually escorted out, while treasury bench members applauded the move.

In a pointed address, Minister Satish Sharma condemned the BJP’s actions, accusing them of divisive tactics. Mr Sharma claimed that the BJP MLAs had “disrespected the Constitution” by allegedly standing on the document while protesting, calling for disciplinary action against them.

PDP, People’s Conference, and AIP MLAs joined forces to submit a fresh resolution denouncing the 2019 abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. This new resolution, spearheaded by PDP MLAs Waheed Para and Fayaz Mir, and People’s Conference MLA Sajad Lone, described the abrogation as “unconstitutional” and a “breach of foundational guarantees” originally extended to Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Lone, in a separate statement, accused the NC of playing a “fixed match” with the BJP, stating that the NC’s initial resolution was inadequate in condemning the abrogation.

BJP MLA RS Pathania described the regional parties’ actions as an attempt to “compromise the integrity” of the Assembly while insisting that the abrogation of Article 370 was a closed matter.