National
SC breaks with past, two benches hear matters during winter break
New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) Breaking with past practice, two benches of the Supreme Court for the first time on Friday heard various cases, including many pending for several years.
The two benches included one headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and another headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.
As many as 98 matters, most involving insurance claims relating to road accidents and pending for several years, were listed for hearing before the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjasy Kishan Kaul.
The bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit took up 37 matters listed for hearing related to civil disputes or criminal cases.
The Supreme Court witnesses week-long vacations on the festivals of Holi, Dussehra and Diwali, besides a winter break for a fortnight and a seven-week summer break.
During the summer break earlier, besides the vacation bench, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had heard a batch of petitions challenging the validity of Triple Talaq or oral divorce. The court eventually held it “unconstitutional”.
Interestingly, there is nothing to throw light on how the practice of a long summer break and winter break started.
In 2008, Parliament’s Standing Committee for the Ministry of Law and Justice had dubbed the practice of a long summer vacation as a “colonial legacy” that was no more relevant and which needed to be done away with.
It had recommended that “given the huge number of cases pending in the Supreme Court, the system of lengthy vacation is better done away with. Reduced vacations will automatically add to the number of working days”.
The committee had desired that the top court explore the possibility of increasing its working hours. At present, the apex court functions for four and a half hours daily.
In 2009, the Law Commission had recommended that the number of working days for judges be increased to address the issue of huge pendency of cases.
Recommending that there “must be full utilisation of the court working hours”, the Law Commission, in its 230 report submitted in 2009, said: “Considering the staggering arrears (of cases), vacations in the higher judiciary must be curtailed by at least 10 to 15 days and the court working hours be extended by at least half an hour.”
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.