Karnataka High Court dismisses plea against release of Jolly LLB 3, imposes ₹50,000 cost
Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka dismissed a PIL petition on Thursday seeking to block the release of the film Jolly LLB 3, which was set to be released on Friday. The court also imposed a cost of ₹50,000 on the petitioner.
The petition was filed by city-based advocate Syed Neelufur, as reported by The Hindu. In the petition Neelufur argued that certain dialogues in the trailer of the film were derogatory towards the judiciary and that the film might also contain more such remarks.The petition also requested that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) re-examine the film and urged that its release be conditional on the removal of the allegedly offending dialogues.
Additionally, the petitioner requested the governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra to register criminal cases against the producer, director, and actors under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitha for allegedly defaming the judicial system.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi rejected the plea, observing that the film belongs to the comedy genre and that its courtroom scenes are intended to entertain audiences, even if they do not appeal to the petitioner’s sense of humour.
The bench further noted that the petition had needlessly consumed judicial time. It directed that if the imposed cost is not deposited with the judiciary, coercive steps may be taken against the petitioner.
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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.
