India's top court on Friday warned state governments across the country against any clampdown on citizens taking to social media for help or airing their grievances amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court said that it would initiate contempt action against state governments and law enforcement authorities if they file a police case or arrest people appealing for help or putting out their SOS messages on social media or elsewhere during the pandemic. "It is of grave concern to me as a citizen or (a) judge. If citizens communicate their grievances on social media, we do not want a clampdown on information. Let us hear their voices. We will treat this as contempt if any citizen is harassed if they want bed or oxygen. We are in (a) human crisis," said Justice DY Chandrachud, who led the bench. "Even doctors and healthcare workers are not getting beds," he said, describing the situation in the country "grim".   The court's warning came in the wake of a deluge of SOS messages on social media amid an escalating oxygen crisis in India, particularly in the national capital. Hospitals after hospitals in Delhi and its suburbs are sending out SOS messages to health authorities daily, seeking adequate supply of the life-saving gas. Last week, at least 50 Covid patients on life support died at two leading Delhi hospitals due to oxygen shortage. Jaipur Golden Hospital, a dedicated Covid medical facility in Delhi, said on Saturday morning that 25 Covid patients died around midnight on Friday due to "low-supply oxygen" to critical patients on ventilator. On Friday morning too, another leading hospital in Delhi announced the deaths of 25 patients in 24 hours due to a shortage of oxygen.In a statement, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had said, "25 sickest patients have died in the last 24 hours. Oxygen will last another two hours. Major crisis likely. Lives of another 60 sickest patients at risk, need urgent intervention." It may also be mentioned here that 24 Covid patients on ventilator at a government hospital in the western Indian state of Maharashtra died on Wednesday after their oxygen supply ran out following leakage of the life-supporting gas from a tanker. The tanker was brought to Zakir Hussain Municipal Hospital in the state's Nashik district to replenish the oxygen cylinders at the medical facility for continuous supply to the 150-plus Covid-19 patients on life support.

India's Supreme Court Monday (April 12, 2021) dismissed a petition seeking removal of certain verses from the Muslim holy book of Quran for allegedly "preaching violence against non-believers". The apex court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the petitioner, Syed Wasim Rizvi, a former head of the Shia Waqf Board in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, for filing the "absolutely frivolous" petition. "We have heard the counsel and dismiss the petition as it is absolutely frivolous,” said Justice RF Nariman, who led a three-judge bench hearing the plea. He also asked the petitioner's counsel to deposit the fine of Rs 50,000 as court expenses.  Read Hill Cutting: CDA contractor fined Tk 5.23cr In his public interest litigation (PIL) plea, Rizvi, alleged that as many as 26 verses in the holy book “promote violence”, and were not part of the original Quran, but added in later revisions. The verses in question were: Verse 2 Surah 191, Verse 3 Surah 151, Verse 4 Surah 56, Verse 4 Surah 89, Verse 4 Surah 101, Verse 5 Surah 51, Verse 5 Surah 14, Verse 5 Surah 57, Verse 8 Surah 65, Verse 8 Surah 69, Verse 9 Surah 5 and Verse 9 Surah 14. Others included Verse 9 Surah 23; Verse 9 Surah 28, Verse 9 Surah 29, Verse 9 Surah 37, Verse 9 Surah 58, Verse 9 Surah 111, Verse 9 Surah 123, Verse 21 Surah 98, Verse 32 Surah 22, Verse 33 Surah 61, Verse 41 Surah 27, Verse 41 Surah 28, Verse 48 Surah 20 and Verse 66 Surah 9. Also read: No evidence of disrespecting Quran found: Probe body As per the petition, Islam is based on concepts of equality and tolerance but is “drifting away from its basic tenets” due to “extreme interpretation of the said verses … and is now identified with militancy, fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism". The petitioner also asked for the federal government and Madrasa Boards across the country to be “called upon to ensure what steps are taken to avoid literal teaching of the verses advocating violence". Last month, police in Uttar Pradesh's  Bareilly town booked Rizvi under the Indian Penal Code for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Muslims by filing the petition in the Supreme Court. Read Quran recitation, prayers to stop coronavirus in Ramadan: Hefazat Ameer

India's top court on Wednesday began hearing dozens of petitions seeking the revocation of amendments to the citizenship law following nationwide protests and a security crackdown that led to more than 20 deaths.