Women feel unsafe in Hyderabad Metro at night, finds study
Hyderabad: A new study has revealed that many women commuters feel unsafe while using the Hyderabad metro during nighttime, citing deserted stations and reduced staff presence as major concerns.
The research, conducted by Ethames Business School, was led by Dr. Sahera Fathima, Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Management, along with students Amena Begum, Khatija Tul Kubra, Taruni Reddy Gaddamedi, and Sukhjoth Singh Chawal. A total of 410 women metro users were surveyed for the study.
The white paper, titled “Women’s Safety in Hyderabad Metro Transit”, released on Tuesday, highlighted several safety gaps. These included poor lighting at stations, inadequate street-level facilities, lack of accessible restrooms, and insufficient CCTV surveillance.
According to the findings, 11 percent of women reported experiencing harassment while travelling on the metro. Several complaints were also received about men entering women-only coaches.
While 70 percent of respondents said they felt safe travelling during the day, the figure dropped significantly at night.
The report has recommended a series of measures to improve women’s safety, including the deployment of more female staff, better lighting in and around stations, and expansion of CCTV coverage.
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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.
