Head coach Gambhir's revised message on Indo-Pak game: Focus on cricket
Dubai (PTI): Head coach Gautam Gambhir's call to "focus on cricket" has been echoed by fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who on Saturday acknowledged that boycott sentiments with regards to India's Asia Cup match against Pakistan is a sensitive issue but stressed that the team has been instructed to strictly follow the directives of the BCCI and the Indian government.
There have been widespread calls to ban any sporting ties with Pakistan following terror attack on Indian tourists in Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Incidentally in a departure from convention, the Indian team management sent its junior-most coaching staff Ten Doeschate as there were apprehensions in the board corridors that had head coach Gautam Gambhir been sent questions would have been asked about his earlier stand.
"It is a very sensitive issue. Players feel the emotion and sentiments of the public. This is what we have discussed in the team meetings. Players are here to play cricket. We are following government instructions," Ten Doeschate said.
With the boycott theme trending widely among fans, he added, "Our thing is, you separate sports and politics. I understand the sentiment but we are following directives of BCCI and government. We are going by what the government and BCCI told us.
"Knowing this will happen was the most frustrating part. Gauti's message is to not focus on things not in your control. Messaging is to focus on cricket," he said.
Interestingly, Gambhir himself had taken a much harder line earlier. At an ABP event in New Delhi following the Pahalgam terror attack, he had said: "My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (cross-border terrorism) doesn't stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan. Ultimately this is the government's decision whether we play them or not. ...No cricket match, Bollywood movie, or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens."
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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.
