Heavy overnight rain wreaks havoc in Dehradun, neighbouring areas
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy overnight rains at various places in Uttarakhand damaged roads, houses and shops, and washed out a bridge early on Tuesday.
"Damage have been reported from Sahastradhara and Mal Devta in Dehradun, and also from Mussoorie. Two to three people are said to be missing in Dehradun. A death has been reported from Mussoorie and is being verified," said Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman.
Teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the affected areas, while 300 to 400 people have been moved to safety, he said.
In a post on X, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Received the sad news of some shops getting damaged due to heavy rains in Sasthdhara, Dehradun, late last night. District administration, SDRF, and police have reached the spot and are engaged in relief and rescue operations."
"I am constantly in touch with the local administration in this regard and am personally monitoring the situation. I pray to God for everyone's safety," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
Heavy rains caused the Song River to swell, flooding the nearby areas.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sadar, Hari Giri, said, "The the water level is rising, and the flow is very strong right now. No deaths have been reported so far. Tourists were staying in the hotels."
Waterlogging has been reported in Dehradun's IT Park area, with water entering many offices, leaving people stranded.
"I have been stranded here since 5:30am. There is a lot of water. The car here has been stuck since last night and is submerged. Water has entered offices and basements," said Hrithik Sharma, a local.
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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.
