New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from the present 34 judges to 38, including the Chief Justice of India. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a Bill will be brought in the next session of Parliament for the purpose. The strength of the Supreme Court was last increased in 2019 from 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
The strength of the Supreme Court is increased based on the recommendation of the CJI, who writes to the Union law minister. After consulting with the finance ministry, the department of justice in the law ministry moves the Cabinet with a draft Bill.
The Cabinet, at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also approved three railway projects costing about Rs.23,437 crore, one of them passing through Telangana. While the construction of the third and fourth lines from Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh to Wadi in Karnataka will pass through Telangana, the other two projects were for third and fourth lines between Nagda and Mathura and Burhwal Sitapur. These projects will add 901 km to the railway network.
“The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion,” a government press note said.
While briefing media persons, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that these sections are part of high density railway network routes and these new lines will enhance operational efficiency between major cities and towns.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, as originally enacted, provided for the maximum number of judges (excluding the CJI) to be 10. This number was increased to 13 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges), Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 by an amendment and later to 25 in 1986. A fresh amendment in 2009 further augmented the strength to 30.
Article 124(3) of the Constitution states the qualifications 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.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
