What is the secret deal? PM Modi questions Rahul's sudden silence on Ambani, Adani
Asks "how much black money have you taken?"
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent silence on the issue of industrialists Ambani and Adani during a rally in Telangana on Wednesday. He suggested that this sudden change in rhetoric may imply a "secret deal" between the Congress and these industrialists.
Modi pointed out that Rahul Gandhi had been consistently targeting Ambani and Adani over the past five years, particularly focusing on their alleged connections with the government. However, Modi noted a shift in Rahul's discourse since the announcement of the elections, wherein he has ceased to criticize these industrialists.
“You would have seen that the Congress shahzada, for the last five years, has been repeating this. Since his Rafale row was grounded, he started repeating this – first, he spoke of five industrialists, and then Ambani-Adani, Ambani-Adani, Ambani-Adani. But even since elections were announced, they have stopped abusing the two. I want to ask the public of Telangana, the shahzada should declare – how much have they taken from Ambani-Adani? How much of black money has been taken? Have tempos full of cash reached the Congress? What’s the deal that’s been struck? Why did you stop abusing Ambani-Adani overnight? Surely something is amiss,” he said in Telangana.
In response, Congress's Praveen Chakravarty suggested that Modi's remarks indicate his discomfort with Rahul Gandhi's continued exposure of the alleged nexus between the government and Ambani-Ambani, which, according to Chakravarty, prioritizes the interests of these industrialists over those of the common people and the nation.
During the rally, Modi also criticized the Congress party's approach, contrasting it with the BJP's "Nation First" policy. He accused the Congress and similar parties of following a "family first" policy, wherein the interests of a select few take precedence over national priorities. Modi further cited the example of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, alleging that the Congress neglected and disrespected him due to its family-centric approach.
Regarding the ongoing elections, Modi claimed that after the third phase of voting, the INDI alliance's momentum had diminished, referring to it as the "third fuse" that had burst.
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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.
