Two cops among three accused of rape, murder of Dalit girl in Rajasthan
Jaipur (PTI): A Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered, leading to the suspension of two policemen for their suspected role in the incident in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, officials said on Wednesday.
Inspector General of Police (IG) Om Prakash said the body of the 20-year-old girl was found in the Khajuwala area on Tuesday.
"Her family members have accused three persons, including two constables of Khajuwala police station, of raping the girl. Both the policemen have been suspended immediately and the matter is being investigated," he said.
The family members of the victim have refused to grant consent to conduct a post-mortem examination and demanded the immediate arrest of all the accused. They also staged a 'dharna'.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Tejaswani Gautam said efforts were being made to persuade the family members and relatives of the victim for postmortem.
Police said a case under various sections, including 376-D (gang rape), of the Indian Penal Code was registered with Khajuwala police station.
The family members have alleged that the policemen Manoj and Bhagirath along with the third accused took her to the house, where they gang raped and murdered her.
Citing call records, police said the victim and the key accused were known to each other. Meanwhile, the role of the two constables is being probed.
The case is being investigated by additional SP Deepak Sharma.
The opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cornered the Ashok Gehlot-led government over the incident.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rajendra Rathore tweeted that the involvement of policemen in the incident of rape and murder of a girl in Khajuwala in Bikaner is a blot on the face of the government.
The suspension of the constables is merely a formality, due to which the family members of the girl are resentful towards the police administration, he added.
"It is unfortunate that till now both the accused constables have not been arrested. I demand the state government to take strict action against the guilty policemen in this case and arrest them," he said.
Food and civil supplies minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said in Jaipur that the matter was being investigated by the police and action against the guilty will be taken.
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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.
