Supreme Court of India
- Context : The Union Cabinet of India approved increasing the strength of the Supreme Court of India from 34 to 38 judges (including the Chief Justice of India).
- A Bill will be introduced in Parliament to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 to raise the sanctioned strength by four.
- The current sanctioned strength is 33 judges + Chief Justice of India.
- This is the first increase in six years, after the 2019 amendment which raised strength from 31 to 33 judges.
- Article 124(1) of the Constitution of India empowers Parliament to determine the number of Supreme Court judges.
About Supreme Court of India
- The Supreme Court of India is the apex judicial body under the Constitution.
- It was established on 26 January 1950 with the commencement of the Constitution.
- The Court was inaugurated on 28 January 1950 in the Chamber of Princes at the old Parliament House. The first Chief Justice was Harilal J. Kania
- It initially functioned from the old Parliament House and shifted to its present building on Tilak Marg, New Delhi in 1958.
- The Supreme Court of India was originally envisaged under Article 124 of the Constitution of India with a strength of one Chief Justice and seven other judges, while empowering Parliament to increase this number based on need.
- Over time, the sanctioned strength has been progressively increased through legislation from 8 judges in 1950 to 11 (1956), 14 (1960), 18 (1978), 26 (1986), 31 (2009), and 34 (2019) to address rising caseloads and ensure effective delivery of justice.
- Proceedings are conducted in English.
- The Supreme Court is established under Part V, Chapter IV (Articles 124–147) of the Constitution of India.
- Judges of the Supreme Court of India are appointed by the President of India under Article 124 of the Constitution of India through the collegium system.
Vande Mataram
- Context : The Union Cabinet of India approved an amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 to make insult or obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram punishable.
- At present, the Act provides punishment (up to 3 years imprisonment or fine or both) for insulting the National Anthem, National Flag, and the Constitution, but not the National Song.
- In 7 November 1875 Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and published in Anandamath in the 1882.
- It was given the status of National Song, with only the first two stanzas officially adopted.
- In 1937, the Indian National Congress decided to use the first two stanzas in official gatherings.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs issued advisory guidelines stating that
- All six stanzas may be sung/played at official events.
- The National Song may be given precedence over the National Anthem when both are played.
- These guidelines were non-statutory (advisory in nature).
- The amendment aims to give statutory backing by bringing the National Song under legal protection similar to the National Anthem.
