26 Naxals arrested in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district
Bijapur (PTI): At least 26 Naxals, six of them carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 13 lakh on their heads, were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, police said.
Eight Naxals each were apprehended from Awapalli and Usur, four from Tarrem and three each from Gangalur and Bhairamgarh police station limits, an official said.
The District Reserve Guard of the local police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units were involved in the operation, he added.
Of the arrested Naxals, Munna Potam carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh on his head and was active as a member of Battalion Number 1 of the outlawed Maoist outfit.
Rama Kaka was the Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (DAKMS) president and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Both Potam and Kaka were held in Usur area.
Janatana Sarkar president Mani Madkam alias Gola Mandi was held from Tarrem police station limits. He carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh.
Arjun Atami alias Guddi, a militia section commander, and woman cadre Payko Madvi alias Soni alias Tokdi, a party member, were nabbed from Bhairamgarh area, the official said. The two carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads.
Krishna Podiyam, nabbed from Awapalli police station limits, was a militia section commander and carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh.
An IED, `cooker bomb', tiffin bomb, wire, safety fuse, detonator multimeter, electric wire and a battery besides earth digging tools and Maoist banners, posters and pamphlets were recovered from the arrested Naxals, said the police official.
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Ordinance issued to increase number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38
New Delhi (PTI): The government has promulgated an ordinance to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from the present 34 judges to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.
The law ministry notified the ordinance on Saturday, which amended the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the sanctioned strength of the top court.
So far, the sanctioned strength of the top court was 34, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Now, the number of judges has been increased by four, taking the sanctioned strength to 38.
The top court will now have 37 judges, other than the CJI.
With the apex court having two vacancies at present, and the ordinance coming into force immediately, the Supreme Court Collegium will now have to recommend six names for appointment as judges in the top court.
A bill will be brought in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to convert the ordinance – an executive order – into a law passed by Parliament.
The Union Cabinet had cleared a draft bill on May 5 to increase the number of apex court judges.
The strength of the Supreme Court was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the CJI) in 2019.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, as originally enacted in 1956, put the maximum number of judges (excluding the CJI) at 10.
This number was increased to 13 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges), Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 by another amendment to the law.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986, augmented the strength of judges from 17 to 25, excluding the CJI.
A fresh amendment in 2009 further increased the strength from 25 to 30.
Article 124(3) of the Constitution lists the qualifications required to become a Supreme Court judge.
An Indian citizen who has either served as a high court judge for at least five years, or as an advocate for 10 years, or is a distinguished jurist, can be appointed to the top court.
The strength of the Supreme Court is increased based on the recommendations of the CJI, who writes to the Union law minister. After consulting the finance ministry, the Department of Justice under the law ministry moves the Cabinet with a draft bill.
