Building casteless society is essence of Constitution: CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, insisted that building a casteless society is the essence of the Constitution.
He also said the Constitution dreams of equality, liberty and fraternity and 12th-century social reformer/philosopher Basavanna too envisioned a society free of caste and class, where everyone lives as human beings.
Addressing a large gathering at the inauguration of Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Anubhava Mantapa and the office of the JSS Prasada Nilaya Senior Students Housing Cooperative Society near Varuna Lake in Mysuru, he stated, "It is only through education that our intellectual development takes place. Only then can we become independent, self-respecting and responsible individuals. That is why every person must get an education".
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lauded the JSS alumni who came together to form the cooperative society.
"The society has distributed plots at the very price it had purchased the land. This is the first such example in the history of cooperative societies. I congratulate all the members for their initiative," he said.
Dwelling on the centrality of education, Siddaramaiah recalled the contribution of Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Swami.
"Ever since he became the head of the Math, Swamiji gave priority to education. He established educational institutions not only across Karnataka and India but also abroad. It is the foundation laid by him that has made this possible," he observed.
Linking the theme of the Anubhava Mantapa to Basavanna's philosophy, Siddaramaiah said, "Our society has historically been divided by caste.
"Women and the Shudra communities were denied education for centuries. It was during Basavanna's time that women were given the right to education," he said.
"Naming this structure 'Anubhava Mantapa' is apt because the original Anubhava Mantapa was the world's first Parliament, where caste and religion had no place. All communities participated, discussed social experiences and shaped reforms," he asserted.
Calling Basavanna a "Vishva Manava" (Universal Man), Siddaramaiah added that he had dreamt of a caste-free and equal society.
"Basavanna not only envisioned an egalitarian society but also gave opportunities to everyone in Anubhava Mantapa. He himself did not become president but appointed Allama Prabhu from a disadvantaged community as its head," Siddaramaiah stated.
Basavanna, 850 years ago, declared, "Do not say he is someone; say he is ours, he is ours. Yet, even today, we ask which caste a person belongs to. This was not what the Sharanas wanted," he said, urging society to rise above caste identities.
"Even after 78 years of Independence, caste has not disappeared. Only when we gain social and economic power can we challenge caste hierarchy. Vested interests are ensuring that such power does not reach the marginalised," he remarked.
The chief minister expressed hope that the newly inaugurated Mantapa would become a symbol of social harmony.
"Let this Mantapa contribute to building a caste-free society," he said, praising Rajendra Swami for his commitment to Akshara Dasoha (sharing of knowledge) and Anna Dasoha (sharing of food).
Linking social equality to his government's welfare agenda, Siddaramaiah said, "Our government has introduced Anna Bhagya as its first step towards eradicating inequality. The five guarantee schemes were also designed for this purpose. In the last two years and three months, the government has spent Rs 1 lakh crore on guarantees," he stated.
Reiterating that building a casteless society was the essence of the Constitution, the Chief Minister concluded by saying that Basavanna envisioned a society free of caste and class, where everyone lives as human beings. The Constitution too dreams of equality, liberty, and fraternity.
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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.
