Media misrepresented population data on growth of Muslims: Population Foundation of India
New Delhi: The Population Foundation of India (PFI) has raised alarm over the misinterpretation of data from a recent Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) working paper. The PFI, an independent think tank focusing on population trends and reproductive health, criticized media reports for spreading misinformation about the growth of the Muslim population in India.
The EAC-PM's working paper, titled "Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015)," examined the population shares of various religious communities across 167 countries, including India.
The EAC-PM's working paper presents shifts in the populations of religious groups by expressing the difference between 1950 and 2015 as a percentage of each group's population in 1950. This method highlights significant changes, such as the Muslim community's rise of 4.25 percentage points, termed as a "43.15% increase" from the 1950 Muslim population. Conversely, Hindus' share declined by 7.82%, Christians' increased by 5.38%, Sikhs' rose by 6.58%, and Parsis' declined by 85%.
However, this methodology wasn't applied to Buddhists and Jains. If it were, it would suggest an extraordinary 1,520% increase in the Buddhist population. Instead, the paper refers to this growth as simply a "noticeable increase," given that their share rose from 0.05% to 0.81% of the total population during this period.
The paper emphasised a nuanced analysis of demographic shifts, illustrating changes in religious groups' populations over time. However, the PFI cautioned against sensationalism and clarified that fertility rates are influenced more by development factors than religious affiliation. They cited successful family planning programs in Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh and Indonesia as evidence.
The working paper's release coincided with political discourse surrounding India's demographic landscape, with some parties using the statistics to question population trends. The PFI further stressed on the importance of responsible reporting, urging media outlets to provide accurate and contextualised information. It said that media outlets were misreporting the findings contained in the working paper “to spread alarm regarding the growth of the Muslim population”, adding, “Such interpretations are not only inaccurate but also misleading and baseless.”
In light of successive Census data and National Family Health Surveys indicating declining growth rates among all religious groups, the PFI stressed the need for inclusive policies promoting education, income equality, and gender equity.
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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.
