Suresh Gopi defends refusal to accept application from elderly man, says won’t make false promises
Thrissur (PTI): Facing flak from netizens for not accepting an application from an elderly person in his constituency, Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Monday issued a clarification that he didn't make promises that cannot be kept.
On September 12, during a public event at Thrissur, an elderly person named Velayudhan approached Gopi with an application for assistance in getting a house.
However, the Union Minister refused to accept the application publicly.
After the videos of the incident circulated on social media platforms, Gopi faced criticism.
On his Facebook page, Gopi said that some are attempting to exploit the incident for their own political agendas.
According to him, as a public representative, he has always been clear about what he can and cannot do.
“I do not make promises that cannot be fulfilled. Giving people false hopes is not my way of doing things. Housing construction is a state subject. It is for the state government to consider,” he said.
Gopi said his efforts are always focused on working within the system to deliver real benefits to the people.
“At the same time, I am glad to see that after this incident, another party stepped forward to provide a safe home for the family. Even if there was a political motive behind it, what matters is that the family finally got a house.”
The union minister said that for the past two years, he has been watching their situation. “If my role, in some way, has pushed someone to step in and provide them a home, I see that as a positive outcome,” he said.
He concluded by saying that in people’s struggles, there is no place for political games. “What truly matters are real solutions,” he added.
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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.
