Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu begins consultations on impeachment notice
New Delhi, 23 April: Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, who, as the Rajya Sabha chairman, alone has the reposnibility to decide if the opposition's impeachment notice of Chief Justice Dipak Misra will be accepted or not, has started consultations on the matter.
Sources say that he has already spoken to Attorney General KK Venugopal, former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha Subhash Kashyap, former Law Secretary PK Malhotra, former legislative secretary Sanjay Singh, and senior officials of the Rajya Sabha secretariat and that he is also expected to consult former Supreme Court judge Sudarshan Reddy.
The notice in question -- carrying signatures of 71 lawmakers from seven parties -- was submitted to Mr Naidu on Friday.Although,Seven of the lawmakers have stepped down since, the number of signatures is still well above the mandatory 50, the party has said. According to the rules, Mr Naidu now has to decide whether the motion will be accepted.
The Constitution says the Chief Justice of India can be impeached only on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The opposition has backed its demand on five grounds, which, the Congress said, equals misbehavior. In a stinging takedown, Union Minister Arun Jaitley has called it a "revenge petition", accusing the "Congress and its friends" of using impeachment as "political tool".
While impeachment proceedings have never been taken up against a Chief Justice of India, the procedure says after such a notice is given, the chairman forwards it to the Rajya Sabha secretariat to verify mainly two things --- the signatures of the members who signed the petition and whether the rules and procedures have been followed.
The secretary general of Rajya Sabha sends a report to the chairman who then decides whether to accept the petition or not. The chairman is likely to receive the report by Tuesday.
If the motion is admitted, he has to form a three-member committee to investigate the charges against the Chief Justice of India. The committee will comprise a senior judge of the Supreme Court, a judge of the High Court and a distinguished jurist. If they support the motion, it is taken up for discussion and voting in the house. The process is followed in the other house if the motion is passed in the first house with a special majority.
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Army operationalises 3D concrete printing tech for quick construction of bunkers, sentry posts
Gangtok (PTI): The Indian Army, in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad, has operationalised on-site 3D concrete printing technology for quick construction of bunkers, sentry posts and protective structures in forward areas of Sikkim, a Defence statement said.
The capability -- already proven in other operational areas earlier -- has been effectively employed by the Trishakti Corps in the Himalayan state, it said.
"The indigenous robotic 3D concrete printer, equipped with a robotic arm, circular mixer, piston pump and generator, is fully vehicle-portable and optimised for rapid movement in mountainous terrain," the statement said.
The printed structures have undergone live ballistic trials, validating their strength and protective performance.
The 3D concrete printing provides major operational advantages, including customised designs, enhanced blast and ballistic resistance, higher compressive strength, improved quality control, efficient use of local materials and rapid construction in tactically acceptable timelines.
It also supports terrain-specific designs and advanced camouflage needs.
The continued adoption of on-site 3D printing represents a significant leap in the Army's engineering and operational readiness, enabling fast, sustainable, and mission-oriented infrastructure development in challenging environments, it added.
