Gujarat: Four policemen among five booked for thrashing minor on suspicion of theft
Botad (PTI): Five persons, including four policemen, have been booked for allegedly keeping a minor in illegal custody and assaulting him inside a police station on suspicion of theft in Gujarat’s Botad district, an official said Saturday.
Based on the statement of the 17-year-old boy, an FIR (first information report) was registered at Botad town police station against an assistant sub-inspector, three constables and one more person for thrashing the minor last month.
The accused cops are attached to the same Botad town police station, he said.
“The minor was taken to the police station and beaten up. Considering the seriousness of the incident, Botad Superintendent of Police ordered an inquiry,” said Deputy SP Maharshi Raval.
The case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 120 (1) for voluntarily causing hurt and 127 (8) for wrongful confinement, as well as under the Juvenile Justice Act section concerning illegal detention of a minor, he said.
As per the FIR, the boy was detained over accusations of theft on August 19 and assaulted inside the police station, following which he was admitted to a hospital in Botad and later shifted to Ahmedabad.
The four policemen are accused of brutally beating up the boy and leaving him with serious injuries, for which he is still being treated in Ahmedabad, said officials.
The accused have been identified as assistant sub-inspector Ajay Rathod and constables Kaushik Jani, Yogesh Solanki and Kuldeep Singh Vaghela.
As per the complainant, who is the minor's grandfather, when he confronted the accused cops at the police station, they searched his house and even took Rs 50,000 from there.
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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.
