Mangaluru: Mob lynching victim had mental health problems, says younger brother
Mangaluru: The younger brother of the Kudupu mob lynching victim spoke to Vartha Bharati about his brother, Ashraf, stating that his brother had been suffering from mental health issues for several years.
Identifying Ashraf as a native of Pulpalli village in Sultan Bathery Taluk of Wayanad district in Kerala, Mangaluru city police contacted his family members, who arrived in Mangaluru early morning on Wednesday.
Speaking to Vartha Bharati, Ashraf’s brother Abdul Jabbar said that his brother’s mental health condition had not improved in spite of medical treatment. Ashraf had remained a bachelor due to his mental health issues, and also used to roam around many places. Jabbar added, “My brother has been living in Mangaluru for several years now, but used to visit Wayanad to meet our mother. He had paid a visit recently, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr too.”
A resident of Ernakulam in Kerala, Jabbar said, “Whenever my brother visited, I got him new clothes and a mobile phone, with a sim registered in my name, but he misplaced the phones on several occasions. During a recent call, however, he told me he was in Mangaluru.”
Referring to the case, Jabbar, expressed sorrow over the death of his brother who had been struggling mental illness and added, “The police have arrested 20 suspects in the case. Our family is cooperating with the officials, in all manners, for the investigation.”
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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.
