Dhar (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav over his remarks favouring reservation benefits to Muslims and said the INDI alliance wants to snatch all quotas of SC, ST and OBCs and give them to their "vote bank" as part of a deeper conspiracy.

Yadav's statement that he was in favour of extending reservation benefits to Muslims has triggered a political slugfest. Addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar, Modi said that a big alliance partner of the INDIA bloc has endorsed what he used to say about their plan to end the reservations for SC, ST and OBCs.

“Their leader who has eaten the animal’s fodder and convicted by the court, even by the Supreme Court in the corruption case and out on bail due to health…Congress is making him dance on their head. He is saying not only Muslims should get reservations but all the reservations should be given to Muslims. Means they want all the reservation to Muslims by snatching it from SC, ST and OBC,” Modi said.

PM stated that “After all, why these people are doing this is because they are counting their remaining breath with the help of this ‘very vote bank’ as everything else is over and nothing left with them, one by one all have left and ran away".

“I have been saying the same thing about them for the last several days. I was saying that they would cut some part of the reservation and give it on the basis of religion but the conspiracy is deeper…They are saying on the day of voting that they want to give all the reservation of SC, ST and OBC to Muslim community,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister asked, “Do you (the people) accept this game of Congress and its allies?.. Should such people lose their deposits or not?” Modi said BR Ambedkar had opposed the religion-based reservation. “Should such people (opposition allies) be kept away from politics forever or not? This will be the biggest tribute to BR Ambedkar,” he said, adding that Ambedkar was given the Bharat Ratna when Congress was not in power at the Centre.

Earlier today, Lalu Prasad Yadav alleged that the ruling BJP at the Centre wanted to do away with reservations by scrapping the Constitution.

 

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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.