Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred wins historic women's 100m gold at Paris Olympics
First ever Olympic medal for Saint Lucia
Paris: Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred made history by winning the country's first-ever Olympic medal, clinching gold in the women's 100 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Alfred crossed the finish line in 10.72 seconds, overcoming heavy rain and a puddled track at Stade de France.
In a dramatic race, Alfred narrowly edged out Sha'Carri Richardson, who finished second with a time of 10.87 seconds. Richardson's training partner, Melissa Jefferson, secured the bronze medal with a time of 10.92 seconds.
Richardson, the reigning world champion, was making her Olympic debut after being sidelined from Tokyo 2020 due to a positive marijuana test. The absence of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who withdrew from the semifinal, opened the field for Richardson and Alfred.
Earlier in the day, Noah Lyles advanced to the semifinals of the men's 100 meters after finishing second in his qualifying heat. The semifinals and finals for the men’s 100 meters are scheduled for Sunday.
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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The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, as originally enacted in 1956, put the maximum number of judges (excluding the CJI) at 10.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.
