SC attains full strength as 2 judges take oath; top court gets first judge from Manipur
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice N Kotiswar Singh on Thursday took oath of office and became the first judge to have been elevated to the Supreme Court from Manipur.
Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court R Mahadevan was also sworn in as judge of the apex court.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud administered the oath of office to both judges at a function in the apex court premises here. With the swearing-in, the top court has attained its full strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.
The Supreme Court will function with 34 judges until Justice Hima Kohli retires on September 1, 2024, followed by CJI Chandrachud, who superannuates on November 10 this year. Two posts have fallen vacant after the retirement of Justice AS Bopanna and Aniruddha Bose.
The Centre has cleared the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium on July 16.
On July 11, the five-member collegium presided over by the CJI had recommended to the Centre the names of Singh and Mahadevan for elevation to the apex court.
"His appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first judge from the state of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court," the SC Collegium said on July 11 while recommending Justice Singh's name along with that of Justice Mahadevan.
Justice Singh was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court in October 2011. Following the formation of the Manipur High Court, he was transferred there.
In February 2023, he was appointed as chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court and will demit office in February 2028 on attaining the age of 65 years.
While recommending Justice Mahadevan’s name for elevation, the collegium had noted that he belongs to a backward community from Tamil Nadu and his appointment will bring diversity to the (SC) Bench.
"The Collegium has taken due note of the fact that Justice Mahadevan ranks third in the order of presently serving judges of the Madras High Court including the judges who have been posted as chief justices outside the Madras High Court.
"At this stage, the Collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Justice Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community," it noted.
Justice Mahadevan was born on June 10, 1963 and will demit office in June 2028.
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Telangana BJP MLA seeks abolition of family planning for Hindus
Hyderabad, May 5 (PTI): Telangana BJP legislator Paidi Rakesh Reddy on Monday called for the abolition of family planning for Hindus, so they can have more children.
Addressing a party meeting in Nizamabad, the Armoor MLA, indirectly referring to last month’s terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, said that the terrorists had asked if the victims were Hindus before killing them.
He asserted that only unity among Hindus could protect future generations and safeguard the country.
He also remarked that the "opposite person" was "playing the game" with 11 to 12 children and roaming around with bombs, while "our" children were scared even of firecrackers.
"I am telling all of you, brothers and women, since you are all here, I am requesting that family planning for Hindus be abolished. Give birth to a sufficient number of children. The unity of Hindus is the only way to stop these guns. We are one. If there is no Dharma, there is no country. And if there is no country or Dharma, there are no future generations. Kashmir is an example of that," he claimed.
Reddy further stated that the terrorists in the Pahalgam attack did not ask the victims about their caste—whether they were blacksmiths or barbers, Tamilians, Maharashtrians, or Telugus. "Did they ask? They asked if you were Hindu," he said.
The BJP leader could not be immediately reached for clarification on his statement.
Reacting to Reddy’s comments, Congress Lok Sabha member Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said that in a secular country like India, religion should not be used to criticise or compare issues.
"This does not address the real problem and instead creates unrest in the country. Rakesh Reddy’s comments, provoking Hindus to have more children, reflect personal views. If the government wants to promote such activity in the national interest, that's a different matter," the Congress MP said.
He added that as a responsible elected representative, Reddy should not provoke people in the name of caste.
