Former CJ, wife seek protection from son

Former CJ, wife seek protection from son

Chandigarh: Taking up a petition filed by former Chief Justice Shanti Sarup Dewan and his wife against their own son for “traumatizing” and making their life “hell,” the Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday directed the Chandigarh SSP to visit the house of the couple and take necessary action. 
    While issuing the directions, Justice TS Dhindsa of the HC ordered that Chandigarh SSP or any other officer deputed in this regard to visit the residence of Justice Dewan in Sector 11 Chandigarh within 24 hours from the communication of this order, interact with the couple, and take stock of the situation. 
    “The SSP will take all necessary steps as deemed fit so as to ensure theprotection of the life and liberty of the former Chief Justice and his wife,” Justice Dhindsa said. 
    The court also observed, “the petitioner is none other than a former Chief Justice of this court and as such is a man of exalted stature and status. It would be safe to presume that it is only under compelling circumstances that he was constrained to approach this court for police protection.” 
    The couple has two daughters and a son. Both the daughters are married and staying separately at their matrimonial homes. 
    In the petition, the couple has sought directions for safeguarding their life and liberty on the grounds that their lives have been made a “living hell” by their son. TNN

1k obese cops suspended in AP

1k obese cops suspended in AP Srinath Vudali TNN  Hyderabad: Over 1,000 policemen have been taken off active service in Andhra Pradesh. They are now on the bench as they tipped the scales at over 90 kg. With police bosses keen on having a fighting-fit force, these obese policemen, from constable to the rank of inspector, have been given orders to return to active policing only after shedding those sagging flabs.      After three months of tests, police top brass discovered that out of the nearly one lakh strong police force, over 1,000 policemen were found to be physicallyunfit and weighing above 90 kg.      The office of director-general of police has been giving utmost importance to fitness and even made physical tests mandatory. The police chief ’s office has been monitoring the fitness process regularly.  “These (obese) officials were withdrawn from the force for some time and they have been asked to work on their fitness. To cut down their flab, they will, in consultation with district unit doctors, get a diet plan and exercise regimen. Except in grave law and order issues, district police heads have been given instructions not to enlist the service of these obese cops as they have to get into shape,” a senior officer said.      In every district, there is a dedicated doctor for the police department. The doctor will create a health profile of the obese cops after understating their food habits and then suggest ‘Dos and Don’ts’.

Judges appointing judges may soon become history

Judges appointing judges may soon become history

Pradeep Thakur TNN 

New Delhi:The government has finally decided to not let judges appoint themselves anymore. The Union Cabinet is likely to soon consider a bold proposal to replace the collegium system of appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and highcourts where the CJI , along with four seniormost judges of the apex court, enjoy the prerogative of picking up members of higher judiciary. 
    According to sources, government proposes to vest the power of appointment of judges of the SC in a broad-based mechanism which will consist of the leader of opposition, an eminent jurist and the law minister, besides the CJI and two senior-most judges of the top court. 
Similarly, for appointments of HC judges, the government proposes a panel consisting of the leader of opposition and law minister of the state concerned, an eminent jurist and the chief justice of the high court. Govt had key role in hiring judges till ’93 
New Delhi: The law ministry is waiting for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s approval for the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. Under the proposed system, for appointments of HC judges, the government proposes a panel consisting of the leader of opposition, law minister of the state concerned, an eminent jurist and the chief justice of the high court. 
    The government had the upper hand in appointment of judges until 1993 when the judiciary acquired primacy in the process, courtesy an SC judgment. The judgment turfed out the executive completely, vesting the prerogative solely in the CJI and four of his seniormost colleagues in the apex court. The judgment said the constitutional provision for consulting judges should be interpreted as a requirement of their concurrence: something that at once transformed the requirement to consult judges into an obligation to heed them. 
    Although the government can return the recommendations of the collegium for its reconsideration, it has no role to play if the CJI and his colleagues stick to their choices. 
    The judiciary's monopoly over appointments of judges of the SC and HCs has been a source of serious heartburn to the political class, while even judges, including former CJI J S Verma who accorded primacy to the judiciary, have acknowledged that the collegium system in practice has been prone to favouritism and needs to be reformed. 
    The move to challenge the status quo is likely to find broad support from the political class, with the resentment of judicial overreach likely to be the additional driver. 
    Sources said the BJP has indicated its “in-principle” support to the move that seeks to make the system of judicial appointments more transparent. According to them, government had consulted leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley while drafting the JAC Bill. 
NEW SCHOOL COLLEGIUM SYSTEM Introduced in 1993, gives “primacy” to senior judges in the Supreme Court and their counterparts in deciding appointments to higher judiciary 
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION | Designed to let the law minister, leader of opposition and jurists have a say, besides three senior judges 
SYSTEMS IN UK AND US 
    UK has a Judicial Appointments Commission, which has 15 members drawn from the judiciary, legal profession, magistracy and the public. Selection is done through ‘open and fair competition’ 
    For appointments to the US Supreme Court and federal courts, the President makes the nominations which are subject to confirmation by the bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee