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Days after Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned the “basic structure” doctrine — as laid down by the Supreme Court in the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case — Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said it was “like the north star,” providing invaluable guidance for the interpretation of the Constitution here — and elsewhere.
The basic structure of our Constitution, like the north star,” CJI Chandrachud said, “guides and gives certain direction to the interpreters and implementers of the Constitution when the path ahead is convoluted.
Elaborating on this, the CJI said that “the basic structure or the philosophy of our Constitution is premised on the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law, separation of powers, judicial review, secularism, federalism, freedom and the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation.”
The CJI was delivering the 18th Nani Palkhivala Memorial lecture on “Traditions and transitions: Palkhivala’s legacy in an interconnected world” at Tata Theatre, National Central for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, this morning. The event was organised by Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Trust in association with Bombay Bar Association.
Govt & Politics
MEA: Sisi visit will deepen ‘time-tested’ India-Egypt relations (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s three-day visit to India next week is expected to deepen the “time-tested” partnership between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The 68-year-old influential Arab leader is scheduled to visit India from January 24 to 26, during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, grace the Republic Day celebrations and hold an interaction with the business community.
India and Egypt are expected to ink around half-a-dozen agreements to expand cooperation in the areas of agriculture, cyberspace and information technology (IT) following the talks between Modi and Sisi on January 25.
Further ramping up of defence and security cooperation is expected to be a major focus area in the discussions. The MEA said Sisi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include five ministers and senior officials.
The Egyptian president previously visited India in October 2015 to participate in the third India-Africa Forum Summit, which was followed by his State visit in September 2016.
Express network
Mann launches ‘Schools of Eminence’ project, says ‘re-imagining education’ (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched the Schools of Eminence, saying the project as a “revolutionary” step in ensuring a golden future for the students and also a giant leap towards making state a real frontrunner in education.
The government has earmarked a budget of Rs 200 crore for the project, under which 117 state-run schools in 23 districts will be upgraded with a special emphasis on classes 9 to 12.
The project, an official said aims at reimagining education in state-run schools envisioning holistic development of students and preparing them to be responsible citizens.
Besides career-related counselling, innovative teaching practices will be followed and guidance for professional exams will also be provided to students.
The project is based on five pillars — state-of-the-art infrastructure, academics, human resource management, sports and co-curricular activities and community engagement, the official added.