Injured toddler dies on way to hospital as ambulance gets stuck in traffic jam in Thane
Thane (PTI): A 16-month-old boy, who was injured after falling from the balcony of his grandmother's home, died as the ambulance ferrying him to hospital got stuck in a traffic jam on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Thane district, people close to his family said on Friday.
For the past several days, Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Nashik highways, which pass through Thane district, have been witnessing severe traffic congestion with jams reportedly stretching up to six hours.
The toddler, Rian Sheikh, whose parents reside in Kurla in Mumbai, was at his grandmother's home in Pelhar in adjoining Palghar district when he fell from the balcony on Thursday while playing.
"He fell straight from the fourth floor to the ground and sustained severe abdominal injuries," a neighbour of the family told the media.
The toddler was first taken on a motorbike to a private hospital in Naigaon in Palghar district, where doctors temporarily stabilized him and referred him to a specialized hospital in Mumbai for advanced treatment, he said.
The family arranged an ambulance for taking him to a hospital in Mumbai. However, the ambulance ferrying the child got stuck in a massive traffic jam caused by the closure of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on a stretch towards Thane, said the people close to the family.
The child was then taken to a hospital in Sasoon Navghar between Thane and Vasai town where doctors declared him dead on arrival, they said.
The hospital confirmed that the child died before admission. However, police were not available for comment.
The traffic congestion was a result of ongoing repair work on the Thane-Ghodbunder Road, which had led to closure of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway towards Thane from 6 am to 9 pm.
The child's death triggered an outrage among local residents, who blamed the administration for the tragedy.
Sushant Patil, president of the Bhumiputra Sanghatana, an NGO, said, "The traffic department has completely failed. We have made repeated appeals to authorities to act, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears."
Citizens demanded immediate implementation of green corridors, strict enforcement of heavy vehicle bans, and accountability from civic and traffic authorities to prevent such tragedies.
This was not the first fatality linked to traffic bottleneck in the Thane-Palghar region.
On July 30, a 49-year-old woman, Chhaya Kaushik Purav, a resident of Madhukar Nagar in the Saphala area who suffered severe injuries in a tree fall incident, died when the ambulance ferrying her got stuck in a massive traffic jam on a highway in Palghar.
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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.
