The story so far: The Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on Friday said that he will constitute a seven-judge Constitution Bench to hear a batch of petitions on October 12 challenging the Centre’s use of the money bill route to pass key legislations after senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy mentioned the matter for urgent listing. A Bench comprising the Chief Justice and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra intimated that all pending seven-judge bench matters will be listed on October 12 for issuing procedural directions like the appointment of a nodal counsel, and not for final hearing.
The decision, in this case, will give quietus to the controversy pertaining to the government introducing crucial laws such as the Aadhaar Bill, amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), and the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act, 2010, as money bills, purportedly to circumvent the Rajya Sabha where it does not enjoy a majority.
