Filmmaker Ramasimhan Aboobakker quits BJP
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Malayalam filmmaker and Sangh Parivar fellow traveller Ramasimhan Aboobakker announced that he has quit the BJP.
Ramasimhan, as he is widely known after he renounced Islam in December 2021 and changed his name from Ali Akbar to Ramasimhan Aboobakker, was a state committee member of the BJP till he resigned all his organisational responsibilities in the saffron party in 2021.
The 'Puzha Muthal Puzhavare' director said there was no need to create any fuss about his decision as he is not going anywhere and would move with the "dharma" (a reference to Sanathana dharma) that he has learned.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ramasimhan said he is "freed from everything. Only with one thing, with Dharma."
The director is the third film personality to quit the BJP in the past two weeks in Kerala. Earlier, Malayalam director Rajasenan and actor Bhiman Raghu had announced their decision to leave the saffron party and work with the ruling CPI(M).
The BJP has not reacted to the developments.
Ramasimhan said it has been a few days since he resigned. "Now it came out, that's all... It was now realised that if one wants to move with dharma, there should be no ties, so the ties were untied. That's it," he explained in another post on Friday.
In October 2021, the director-turned-politician resigned from all responsibilities in the BJP, including as a state committee member, as he was "pained" by the Kerala unit's organisational-level action against a Muslim BJP leader in Kerala. Akbar (as he was known then), however, had said he would continue as a member of the BJP.
In an emotional Facebook post, he had said it was very difficult for the common man to understand the kind of humiliations and abuses being faced by a Muslim, from his own family and community, while working for the BJP.
'Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare' based on the Malabar rebellion, also called the Moplah riot, that took place in north Kerala in 1921 was Ramasimhan's recent film.
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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.
