UN Chief Guterres condemns Pahalgam terror attack, urges India-Pakistan de-escalation
New Delhi: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and called for immediate de-escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.
In separate phone calls to India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Guterres expressed deep concern over the rising hostilities following the cross-border attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, including a Nepalese citizen.
According to an official UN statement, Guterres stressed the importance of pursuing justice and accountability through lawful means. He reiterated the need to avoid further confrontation and offered his good offices to help both nations de-escalate the situation.
The terror attack, attributed to Pakistan-sponsored operatives, targeted mostly tourists in the Pahalgam region, leading to widespread condemnation and a sharp diplomatic standoff.
In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level security meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Sources present at the meeting stated that PM Modi affirmed India's unwavering resolve to combat terrorism and granted the armed forces complete operational freedom to determine the nature and timing of the response.
As part of its countermeasures, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, expelled Pakistani High Commission officials by declaring them Persona Non Grata, and revoked visas issued under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), ordering Pakistani nationals to leave within 48 hours.
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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.
