High Court quashes case against MP K. Sudhakar in cash seizure incident
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has quashed the case registered against Chikkaballapur MP Dr. K. Sudhakar in connection with the seizure of Rs 4.8 crore during the last Lok Sabha elections near Madavara.
A single-judge bench of Justice M.I. Arun allowed Sudhakar’s plea seeking to cancel the FIR and the trial proceedings pending before the Special Court for People’s Representatives. The detailed judgment copy is yet to be made available.
The case dates back to April 25, 2024, when election officials received a tip-off that Rs 10 crore was being kept aside to distribute among voters. Acting on this information, officials of the Election Commission and the Income Tax Department raided the house of Govindappa in Madavara village and seized Rs 4.8 crore. The complaint was filed by Dasharath V. Kumbar, a member of the Static Surveillance Team.
It was alleged that during this time, K. Sudhakar, who was then the BJP candidate, had contacted election officer Munish Mudgil via WhatsApp call and messages from an unknown number seeking help. The complaint further alleged that the seized money was intended to be distributed to voters. Following this, the Madanayakanahalli police registered an FIR.
Sudhakar, Govindappa and others were booked under sections 171E (bribery in elections), 171F (undue influence in elections), 171B (offering gifts to influence voters), 171C (interference with voting rights) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, which deals with electoral malpractices. The police later filed a chargesheet, and the Special Court had taken cognizance of the case.
Challenging this, Sudhakar approached the High Court, which has now set aside the FIR and the subsequent proceedings.
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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.
