What is stopping govt from cancelling Revanna's diplomatic passport, asks Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday asked the government what is stopping it from cancelling the diplomatic passport of suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is accused of sexual abuse.
The 33-year-old Hassan MP reportedly flew to Germany soon after the Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order a probe into the sexual allegations against him after scores of explicit videos and pictures went viral on social media.
In a post on X, Ramesh questioned how Prajwal was allowed to escape.
"What is stopping the PM from having the diplomatic passport to Prajwal Revanna cancelled? How and why was he allowed to flee the country like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Mehul Choksi were?" the Congress leader asked.
Prajwal, the grandson of Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, has been accused of sexual assault after several videos allegedly featuring him with multiple women surfaced.
He is the NDA candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on April 26. The JD(S) had formed an alliance with the BJP in 2023.
On Friday, one more rape case was registered against Prajwal, taking the number of cases pertaining to the alleged sexual abuse of several women to three, police sources said.
The FIR was registered against Prajwal on May 8 in Bengaluru, according to sources in the Special Investigation Team which was constituted for a probe after a huge cache of explicit videos allegedly showing the Hassan MP sexually abusing several women became public.
The first FIR pertains to molestation of his cook in Holenarasipura in Hassan. Prajwal's father and Holenarasipura MLA H D Revanna is also an accused in the case. The second case pertains to raping a JD(S) worker at gunpoint.
H D Revanna is currently lodged in the Central Jail at Parappara Agrahara in Bengaluru under judicial custody after a 20-year-old youth alleged that Revanna and his aide kidnapped his mother. The youth said his mother had figured in one of the videos where she was allegedly tied and raped by Prajwal.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on May 2 said that Prajwal travelled to Germany on a diplomatic passport and did not seek political clearance for the trip.
A Blue Corner notice of the Interpol seeking information on his whereabouts has also been issued against the Hassan MP.
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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.
