COVID-19: 1,240 new cases in Karnataka, 6 deaths
Bengaluru, Dec 16: Karnataka on Wednesday reported 1,240 new cases of COVID-19 and 6 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 9,04,665 and the death toll to 11,971.
The day also saw 1,403 patients getting discharged after recovery.
A total of over 1,26,11,493 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,01,750 were tested on Wednesday alone, and 14,720 among them were rapid antigen tests.
Out of 1,240 fresh cases reported today, 676 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.
As of December 16 evening, cumulatively 9,04,665 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 11,971 deaths and 8,77,199 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.
It said, out of 15,476 active cases,15,228 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and stable, while 248 are in ICU.
According to the bulletin, 4 out of the total 6 deaths reported on Wednesday are from Bengaluru urban, followed by Ballari and Chikkamagaluru (1).
All those dead are with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).
Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru urban accounted for 676, Tumakuru 57, Chitradurga 51, Mysuru 47, Kadagu 46, Hassan 34, Mandya 32, followed by others.
Bengaluru urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 3,80,247 infections, followed by Mysuru 51,551 and Ballari 38,564.
Among discharges too Bengaluru urban tops the list with total 3,65,579 discharges, followed by Mysuru 50,196 and Ballari 37,761.
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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.
