Earthquake of 5.8 magnitude hits parts of north-east region
Guwahati, Sep 14 (PTI): An earthquake of 5.8 magnitude struck parts of the north-east region of the country on Sunday, officials said.
There was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property, they said.
The epicentre of the earthquake that took place at 4.41 pm on Sunday, was in Udalguri district, the officials said.
The depth of the quake was 5 km.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said, "The epicentre (of the earthquake) was near Udalguri. So far, there has been no report of any major damage or loss of life. We are actively monitoring the situation."
Residents of Udalguri, Sonitpur, Tamulpur, Nalbari and several other districts in Assam felt the tremors.
Panic-gripped people were seen rushing out of their residences in Guwahati.
People of the western parts of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh also felt the jolt.
Residents in Arunachal Pradesh's capital Itanagar ran out of their houses and shops in panic.
According to state disaster management secretary Dani Sulu, no reports of structural damage or casualties have been reported from the state so far.
“The situation is being closely monitored, but there is no cause for alarm,” he said.
The northeastern states fall in the high seismic zone, and earthquakes frequently hit the region.
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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.
