Water from suspended Indus Water Treaty to be supplied to Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan: Khattar
New Delhi (PTI): Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Friday that the water saved due to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will be made available to Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan within the next one to one and a half years.
Remarking that sometimes disasters can prove to be blessings in disguise, stating, "aapda mein bhi avsar," Khattar explained that following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan was "suspended."
"The large quantity of water that was discharged towards Pakistan will now be brought and supplied to Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan in the coming one or one and a half years," the minister said, addressing a programme to launch the drainage master plan of the national capital.
India decided to suspend the decades-old treaty in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam in April, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly tourists. India informed Pakistan of its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, citing Pakistan's breach of the treaty's conditions.
The treaty, in effect since 1960, governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. The Indus river system includes the main river, the Indus, along with its tributaries: the Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab.
Under the treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF).
The water of the western rivers -- the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- amounting to an average annual flow of around 135 MAF, which was largely allocated to Pakistan, has now been stopped and is available to be used by India.
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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.
