Woman in Rajasthan burnt alive by in-laws for not conceiving child; Cops attacked during probe
Jaipur: In an incident reported from Kaankda village in Deeg district, the in-laws of a woman allegedly burnt her alive on a pile of dung cakes for failing to conceive and, while cremating her half-burnt body, attacked the police officers who arrived to investigate the matter.
The district police have identified the victim as Sarla Devi. The woman’s brother Vikrant has told the police, who have filed an FIR, that Sarla married Ashok in 2005. He has also accused Sarla’s parents-in-law Sukhbir Singh and Rajwati, brother-in-law Raju and sisters-in-law Pooja and Poonam of having harassed his sister for years for being childless.
On Tuesday, the police team that was informed that the woman’s half-burnt body was being cremated came to Kaankda, but was stopped from entering the village. The locals and Sarla’s in-laws together attacked the policemen, tearing apart their uniforms and chasing them away. The policemen, who managed to escape, alerted their seniors.
Additional forces led by the senior officers immediately visited the cremation ground at Kaankda and took action. They recovered Sarla’s body from the pyre and sent it to the mortuary of the district hospital, where a post-mortem test was conducted, before the body was handed over to Sarla’s family.
Deeg Additional Superintendent AK Sharma has said that an FIR has been filed against the people accused of attacked the policemen, as primary investigation hints at an intension to erase evidence. The officer added that investigation into the incident is underway.
SP Om Prakash Meena has said that cases have been registered for murder, destruction of evidence as well as assault on government officials.
Sarla’s in-laws and several residents of Kaanka village are learned to be absconding. The police team investigating the matter has deployed additional forces in the village for the probe.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
