Telangana: Teen rape victims pass Class 10 exam, aspire to join police
Hyderabad (PTI): Demonstrating remarkable grit and determination in the face of severe trauma, two minor rape victims in Telangana have recently passed the Class 10 examination with flying colours, results of which were recently announced in the state. The journey of younger girl (aged 15) is extremely shocking as she was raped by her own father in 2023.
This was discovered when her grandmother took her to a hospital when she complained of stomach pain, where doctors found out that she was pregnant.
To make matters worse, her pregnancy could not be aborted as it was in an advanced stage. She delivered a baby in the ninth month, M Mahender Reddy, a police officer, who dealt with both cases, told PTI recently.
The baby was admitted to an orphanage and the girl continued her education, he added.
Despite these tribulations, she passed the class X standard examination with a 5.6 GPA (grade point average).
The father was handed out a conviction with life imprisonment by the court which also awarded a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the girl, Reddy said.
The other girl (aged 16) was raped by her uncle, Reddy said. She secured an impressive 9.3 GPA in the class X standard exams.
In view of the heinous crime committed by her uncle, the girl's relatives stayed away from the family.
However, they congratulated her after her success in the X standard exam, he said.
Interestingly, both the girls now aspire to become police officers as their fear of police has vanished after they were helped by the Meerpet police station to get justice.
Reddy, who earlier served as SHO of Meerpet police station, said the woman constables and other police personnel handled the case with a humane approach.
Apart from helping the victims, Reddy said the police personnel went beyond the call of duty and tried to instill courage in their minds without confining themselves to the case requirements.
The police personnel also encouraged them to pursue their education, 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.
