Karnataka reports 1,222 fresh COVID-19 cases, eight deaths
Dakshina Kannada records 38 positive Covid-19 cases
Bengaluru, Dec 18: Karnataka added 1,222 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths, taking the total infections to 9,07,123 and the toll to 11,989, the health department said on Friday.
The day also saw 1,039 patients getting discharged after recovery, leaving 15,380 active cases.
Bengaluru Urban district continued to account for most of the cases, as it reported 687 infections on Wednesday.
Cumulatively 9,07,123 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed and these include 11,989 deaths and 8,79,735 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.
Of the active cases, 15,157 patients are stable in isolation at designated hospitals, while 223 are in Intensive Care Units.
Four out of the eight deaths were from Bengaluru Urban.
Other districts that reported fresh cases included Mysuru 61, Hassan 46, Tumakuru 43, Dakshina Kannada 38, Mandya 29, Kalaburagi 26, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 3,81,623 infections, followed by Mysuru 51,666 and Ballari 38,609.
Among discharges too Bengaluru urban was on top with total of 3,66,888 discharges, followed by Mysuru 50,325 and Ballari 37,793.
A total of over 1,28,22,390 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,04,541 were on Friday alone.
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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.
