Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• The International Judicial Conference-2020, organized by the Supreme Court of India, was held from 21st-23rd February, 2020 in New Delhi, under the theme- Judiciary and the Changing World.
• The Conference discussed the changes being introduced by the Government of India to bring Gender Equality in recruiting women in military services, selection process of fighter pilots, freedom of women to work in mines at night.
• The Conference also focused on the need for technology to deliver rapid justice.

Explanation :

• The Law Commission of India, in its 41st Report dated September 24, 1969 pointed out the necessity of introducing a provision in the Code of Criminal Procedure enabling the High Court and the Court of Sessions to grant “anticipatory bail.”
• Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, lays down the law on anticipatory bail, which reads: “When any person has reason to believe that he may be arrested on an accusation of having committed a non-bailable offence, he may apply to the High Court or the Court of Session for a direction under this section; and that Court may, if it thinks fit, direct that in the event of such arrest, he shall be released on bail.
• The provision empowers only the Sessions Court and High Court to grant anticipatory bail.
• As opposed to ordinary bail, which is granted to a person who is under arrest, in anticipatory bail, a person is directed to be released on bail even before arrest made.

Explanation :

• Collegium is a system under which judges are appointed by an institution comprising judges. The Collegium of judges is the Supreme Court’s invention. It does not find its mention in the Constitution.
• The First Judges Case (1981) ruled that the “consultation” with the CJI in the matter of appointments must be full and effective. However, it rejected the idea that the CJI’s opinion should have primacy.
• The Second Judges Case (1993)introduced the Collegium system, holding that “consultation” really meant “concurrence”. It added that it was not the CJI’s individual opinion, but an institutional opinion formed in consultation with the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. 
• The Third Judges Case (1998)expanded the Collegium to a five-member body, comprising the CJI and four of his senior-most colleagues.

Explanation :

• Against the backdrop of nearly 60,000 pending cases in the Supreme Court, a bill to increase the number of judges in the top court from 30 to 33 was introduced in LokSabha on 5^th August, 2019.
• As of now, the Supreme Court has a sanctioned strength of 30 judges, plus the Chief Justice of India (CJI) -31 judges.
• Once the bill gets parliamentary approval, its sanctioned strength will go up to 33, plus the CJI, according to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill.
• Back in 1988, the judge strength of the SC was increased from 18 to 26, and then again after two decades in 2009, it was increased to 31, including the CJI, to expedite disposal of cases to keep pace with the rate of institution.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online