Attempt to murder RSS worker, 6 held in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 17: A Bengaluru terror module has been busted with the arrest of six members of the Social Democratic Party of India who had allegedly attempted to kill an RSS worker on December 22 for taking part in a pro-CAA rally, police said on Friday.
The arrested have been identified as Irfan, Syed Akbar, Syed Siddiqui, Akbar Basha, Sanaulla and Sadiq Amin alias 'Sound Amin', all residents of KG Halli in the city, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao told reporters here.
BJP Bengaluru south MP Tejasvi Surya and right wing leader Chakravarthy Sulibele were among the prominent speakers at last month's pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally.
According to Rao, the SDPI members reached the venue on three stolen motorcycles. They wanted to storm into the crowd initially but due to heavy police presence, they could not.
They wanted to create a panic situation by hurling stones so that people will flee deserting their leaders making it easier to eliminate their targets, the commissioner said.
However, the stones missed the target.
They later decided to zero in on RSS worker Varun who was supplying water and taking care of the participants at the rally.When he was on his way home, the SDPI activists waylaid and attacked him, Rao said.
According to the commissioner, Varun survived due to timely medical assistance.
They wanted to carry out the act to create a lot of disturbance in the city, Rao said.
"All of them are from the SDPI and they wanted to carry out the dastardly act to create lot of disturbance in Bengaluru City on December 22," Rao told reporters here.
They were being paid Rs 10,000 per month from their handlers to carry out their agenda, the commissioner said, adding the matter has now been handed over to the Anti-Terror Squad.
In addition to it, a Special Investigation Team will be formed to ensure that such people do not create any disturbance, Rao said.
"We are not going to spare anyone whoever their handlers and financiers are whether inside the country or outside.I am constituting an SIT to see that such people do not create any disturbance," Rao said.
The arrested members were all radicalised and their agenda was to recruit cadres, train and radicalise them, cause destruction and kill prominent people to cause mass disturbance in the city, he said.
"We have named them as the Bengaluru terror module of chapter-1. All of them are in our custody. They wanted to kill the main speakers of the event (pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally)," Rao said.
After the incident, a special team was formed which examined footage of more than 700 CCTV cameras, identified and nabbed the perpetrators of the crime.
Besides registering a case of attempt to murder, cases have been booked against them for creating enmity between two religious communities and under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Rao said.
Reacting to the arrest, Tejasvi Surya said "SDPI is an organisation, which has not been banned yet. The SDPI has become strong because the then chief minister Siddaramaiah dropped cases against its members."
He called the arrest only a tip of the iceberg and said he would bring the activities of the SDPI to the notice of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
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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.
