SC fixes May 14 for hearing pleas against appointment of CEC, ECs under 2023 law
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed May 14 for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (EC) under the 2023 law.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan fixed the date after advocate Prashant Bhushan urged the bench to accord urgent hearing in the matter.
Bhushan, appearing for a petitioner NGO challenging the appointment process, said the issue was covered by the Constitution bench verdict of 2023.
Justice Kant told Bhushan that the court will take up the matter on May 14 by cancelling a special bench matter on the said date.
Bhushan said though the matter is listed in the business of the day of the bench, they are urging the court to take it on top of the board.
Justice Kant said the bench will be taking several part-heard matters involving land acquisition on Wednesday.
On March 19, the top court had fixed April 16 for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of the CEC and election commissioners under the 2023 law.
Bhushan, appearing for petitioner NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, had earlier told the court that the matter involved a short legal question -- whether the 2023 Constitution bench verdict should be followed for the appointment of the CEC and ECs through a panel involving the prime minister, Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India or the 2023 law, which excludes the CJI from the panel.
He had argued that the government, by appointing the new CEC and EC under the 2023 law, was making a "mockery of democracy".
On February 17, the government appointed EC Gyanesh Kumar as the next CEC.
Kumar is the first CEC to be appointed under the new law and his term would run till January 26, 2029, days before the EC is expected to announce the schedule of the next Lok Sabha election.
Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre IAS officer, was appointed as an election commissioner. Joshi (58) would serve in the poll panel till 2031.
According to the law, a CEC or an EC retires at 65 or could have a tenure in the poll panel for six years.
On March 15, 2024, the top court refused to stay the appointments of the new ECs under the 2023 law which excluded the CJI from the selection panel and deferred the hearing on a batch of pleas against the appointments.
The apex court told the petitioners that the March 2, 2023 verdict directed for the three-member panel comprising the prime minister, Leader of Opposition and the CJI to operate till Parliament enacted a law.
The apex court's verdict held that leaving the appointment of the ECs and CEC in the hands of the executive would be detrimental to the health of the country's democracy and the holding of free and fair elections.
The NGO challenged the CJI's exclusion and said the election commission should be insulated from "political" and "executive interference" for maintaining a healthy democracy.
The ADR's plea alleged the verdict was overruled by the Centre without removing its basis and the composition of the selection committee under the new law which amounted to excessive interference of the executive in the appointments and was detrimental to the independence of the poll panel.
Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu were recommended to be appointed as ECs in 2024 by a selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the new law.
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China tests new Hydrogen bomb without nuclear fusion
Beijing: China has reportedly tested a new kind of explosive device that uses hydrogen but does not involve any nuclear materials. This new weapon was developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It works differently from traditional hydrogen bombs, which rely on nuclear fusion. Instead, this device uses a chemical reaction with a substance called magnesium hydride. The explosion creates a powerful fireball that gives off extreme heat for a longer time, reported Economic Times.
The explosive weighs only 2 kilograms and uses a unique method to create a powerful blast. Magnesium hydride, which stores hydrogen at high densities, breaks down quickly when triggered by a normal explosive. This releases hydrogen gas, which then mixes with air and catches fire. The result is a fireball with temperatures above 1,000°C much hotter than regular explosives like TNT.
Quoting Wang Xuefeng, a top scientist at the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), The Economic Times reported that hydrogen explosions require very little energy to ignite and can spread rapidly. Wang explained that such fires possess the intensity to burn through strong materials, including aluminium alloys. Due to its precision and destructive power, the device could be highly effective in targeted military strikes.
During a field test, the explosive showed a peak pressure of 428.43 kilopascals at a distance of two meters. This is around 40% of the pressure made by TNT. But the real strength of this device lies in the heat it produces. While most explosives create a quick shockwave, this one keeps burning at very high temperatures for more than two seconds.
This long-lasting heat could make the explosive useful for hitting specific military targets, such as power plants or communication centers. It could also be used to block enemy forces by burning roads or transport routes, making them unusable.
