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Go as far as you can see, and when you get there, you’ll see farther, goes a saying attributed to Thomas Carlyle. The Supreme Court has gone as far as invalidating an attempt to provide a legislated  alternative to its own collegium system  of judicial appointments. After restoring the judge-made system, it has to necessarily see farther and come up with improvements that will enhance transparency in appointments and provide reasonable eligibility criteria for prospective judges. Having both struck down the Constitution amendment to set up a National Judicial Appointments Commission and admitted to serious shortcomings in the system it has been implementing for over two decades, the court has to take the next logical step of reforming the existing mechanism. It has embarked on a unique process to involve the entire society in the exercise by inviting suggestions from the public. For the first time, the average citizen will be involved in a process hitherto seen as arcane and...

Telecom satellite GSAT-15 launched The 3,164-kg spacecraft will replace the ageing Insat-3A and 4B spacecraft that are in the same orbital slot when they expire.  GSAT-15, the nation's newest communications satellite, was launched in the wee hours of Wednesday from Kourou in French Guiana in South America. The 3,164-kg spacecraft will replace the ageing Insat-3A and 4B spacecraft that are in the same orbital slot when they expire. Its 24 transponders in the Ku-band will mainly cater to public and private direct-to-home broadcasters besides VSAT operators. (A majority of private operators use capacity leased on foreign spacecraft). GSAT-15's lone GPS-augmentation or GAGAN transponder in the L1 and L5 bands will ensure back up for GPS-based satellite navigation across the region. The Indian Space Research organisation said GSAT-15 was put into space at 3.04 a.m. IST by the European launch vehicle Ariane VA-227; it had Arabsat-6B as a co-passenger. The initial e...