document_title: The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

question_text: who played zira in the lion king 2

question_tokens: who played zira in the lion king 2

text: The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

text: Plot[edit]

text: In the Pride Lands of Africa, a lion rules over the animal kingdom from Pride Rock. King Simba's newborn daughter, Kiara, is presented to the assembled animals by Rafiki the baboon who serves as shaman and advisor. Simba assigns his royal advisors, the meerkat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa, to follow Kiara. After entering the forbidden "Outlands," Kiara meets a young cub, Kovu, and they escape from crocodiles while befriending each other. However, Simba and Zira, Kovu's mother and the Outsiders' leader, rescue the cubs. Before she leaves, Zira reminds Simba that Kovu was selected to become Scar's successor.

text: Returning to the Pride Lands, Simba lectures Kiara about the danger posed by the Outsiders and tells her about the pride's responsibilities. In the Outlands, Zira reminds Kovu that Simba killed Scar and exiled the lionesses who respected him. Kovu explains that he does not think it is so bad to have Kiara as a friend, but Zira realizes she can use Kovu's friendship with Kiara to exact revenge on Simba.

text: Several years later, Kiara begins her first solo hunt. However, Simba has Timon and Pumbaa follow her in secret, which leads her to hunt away from the Pride Lands. On Zira's orders, Kovu's siblings Nuka and Vitani trap Kiara in a fire, allowing Kovu to rescue her. Simba is forced to accept Kovu afterwards. The next day, Kovu contemplates attacking Simba, but he teaches Kiara how to hunt instead and eventually realizes his feelings for her.

text: Later, Kiara and Kovu stargaze where they talk about the Great Kings of the Past and Kovu wonders if there is a darkness in him like there was in Scar, despite not being his biological son. Kovu attempts to reveal his mission to Kiara, but Rafiki interrupts and leads them to the jungle, where he introduces them to "upendi" (an erroneous form of upendo, which means "love" in Swahili). The two lions fall in love. That night, Simba allows Kovu to live in Pride Rock with the rest of the pride. Realizing that Kovu has failed to kill Simba, Zira sets a trap for him.

text: Simba takes him around the Pride Lands and tells him the truth about Scar. However, the Outsiders attack Simba, resulting in Nuka's death and Simba's escape. Zira scratches Kovu for his brother's death, causing him to turn on her. Kovu returns to Pride Rock to plead Simba for his forgiveness but is exiled. Kiara makes Simba realize that he is acting irrationally, and flees to find Kovu. The two lions later find each other and profess their love. Realizing that they must reunite the two prides, Kiara and Kovu return to the Pride Lands and convince them to stop fighting. However, Zira attempts to kill Simba but Kiara rescues him and they end up hanging perilously to a cliff's edge. Zira refuses Kiara's assistance, instead falling to her death.

text: With his enemy gone, Simba accepts the Outsiders back into the Pride Lands, and appoints Kovu and Kiara as his successors.

text: Voice cast[edit]

text:
Matthew Broderick as Simba, son of Mufasa and Sarabi, King of the Pride Lands and Kiara's overprotective father. Cam Clarke provided his singing voice. Ian Harrowell served as the supervising animator for Simba.
Moira Kelly as Nala, Queen of the Pride Lands, Simba's mate and Kiara's mother. Ian Harrowell served as the supervising animator for Nala.
Nathan Lane as Timon, a wise-cracking and self-absorbed yet somewhat loyal meerkat who is Pumbaa and Simba's best friend. Bob Baxter served as the supervising animator for Timon.
Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, a naïve warthog who suffers from flatulence and is Timon's and Simba's best friend. Bob Baxter served as the supervising animator for Pumbaa.
Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, an old baboon who serves as the shaman of The Pride Lands. Bob Baxter served as the supervising animator for Rafiki.
Edward Hibbert as Zazu, a hornbill who serves as the king's majordomo. Bob Baxter served as the supervising animator for Zazu.
Neve Campbell as Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala and Kovu's love interest. Liz Callaway provided adult Kiara's singing voice. Lianne Hughes served as the supervising animator for Kiara.

Michelle Horn voiced young Kiara, while Charity Sanoy provided her singing voice and Ashley Edner provided her lion growls.

Jason Marsden as Kovu, Zira's son and Nuka and Vitani's younger brother and Kiara's love interest. Gene Miller provided Kovu's singing voice. Andrew Collins served as the supervising animator for Kovu.

Ryan O'Donohue provided the voice of young Kovu.

Andy Dick as Nuka, Zira's son, Vitani and Kovu's older brother and the oldest male of Zira's family. Ian Harrowell served as the supervising animator for Nuka.
Jennifer Lien as Vitani, Zira's daughter and Nuka and Kovu's sister. Kevin Peaty served as the supervising animator for Vitani.

Lacey Chabert voiced young Vitani while Crysta Macalush provided her singing voice.

Suzanne Pleshette as Zira, the leader of the Outsiders, Scar's most loyal follower and the mother of Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu. Kevin Peaty served as the supervising animator for Zira.
James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Simba's father and the previous King of the Pride Lands.
Jim Cummings as Scar, Mufasa's younger brother, Simba's uncle and Kiara's great-uncle, who appears in a brief cameo.

text: Production[edit]

text: Discussion began about the possibility of a sequel to The Lion King before the first film even hit theaters.[1] In January 1995, it was reported that a Lion King sequel was to be released "in the next twelve months".[2] However, it was delayed, and then it was reported in May 1996 that it would be released in "early next year" of 1997.[3] By 1996, producer Jeannine Roussel and director Darrell Rooney signed on board to produce and direct the sequel.[4] In August 1996, Cheech Marin reported that he would reprise his role as Banzai the Hyena from the first film, but the character was ultimately cut from the sequel.[5] In December 1996, Matthew Broderick was confirmed to be returning as Simba while his wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jennifer Aniston were in talks to voice Aisha, Simba's daughter. Andy Dick was also confirmed to have signed on to voice Nuka, the young villain-in-training-turned hero, who attempts to romance Aisha.[6] Ultimately, the character was renamed Kiara (after it was discovered that Aisha was the name of the female Power Ranger), and voiced by Neve Campbell, from the "Scream" trilogy.[7] Nuka was renamed Kovu, and voiced by Jason Marsden.[8] Then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner urged for Kovu's relationship to Scar to be changed during production as being Scar's son would make him Kiara's first cousin once-removed. According to Rooney, the final draft gradually became a variation of Romeo and Juliet. "It's the biggest love story we have," he explained. "The difference is that you understand the position of the parents in this film in a way you never did in the Shakespeare play."[9] Because none of the original animators were involved in the production, the majority of the animation was done by Walt Disney Television Animation's studio in Sydney, Australia. However, all storyboarding and pre-production work was done at the Feature Animation studio in Burbank, California.[9] By March 1998, Disney confirmed the sequel would be released on October 27, 1998.[10]

text: Release[edit]

text: Coincided with its direct-to-video release, Simba's Pride was accompanied with a promotional campaign which included tie-ins with McDonald's, Mattel, and Lever 2000.[11][12][13] Unlike the North American release, Simba's Pride was theatrically released in European and Latin American countries in spring 1999.[14][15]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was first released on VHS in the United States on October 27, 1998 and on DVD as a limited issue on November 23, 1999. The DVD release featured the film in a letterboxed 1.66:1 aspect ratio, the trailer for the movie, and a music video of "Love Will Find A Way" performed by Heather Headley and Kenny Lattimore.[16] In 1998, Disney believed that The Lion King II: Simba's Pride would be so popular that it shipped 13 million copies to stores for the October 27 release date.[17] In March 2001, it was reported that in its first three days, 3.5 million VHS copies were sold, and ultimately about thirteen million copies were sold.[18] In September 2001, it was reported that Simba's Pride had sold more than 15 million copies.[19] Overall, consumer spending on The Lion King II: Simba's Pride accumulated about $300 million — roughly the same figure of its predecessor's theatrical release at that time,[20] and continues to be one of the top-selling direct-to-video releases of all time, with $464.5 million worldwide in sales and rentals.[21]

text: On August 31, 2004, the film was re-released on VHS and a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. The DVD edition featured optional pop-up informational commentary, interactive games (the "Virtual Safari") featuring Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki, five humorous "Find Out Why" shorts, an animated short based on Lebo M's "One By One", and a "Proud of Simba's Pride" featurette.[22] The Special Edition version featured changes made to the film such as Kovu in the water being inexplicably re-animated as well as other alterations.[16] A DVD boxed set of the three The Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film, along with the sequels, went back into moratorium.[23]

text: On October 4, 2011, Simba's Pride was included in an eight-disc box set trilogy set with the other two films.[24] The Blu-ray edition for the film was released as a separate version on March 6, 2012.[25] The Blu-ray edition has three different versions, a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, a 1-disc edition, and a digital download. The Blu-ray edition has also been attached with a new Timon & Pumbaa short, in which the two friends gaze at the night sky as the star constellations resemble their favorite meal, insects.[25]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 33% based on six reviews with an average score of 5.7/10.[26]

text: Siskel & Ebert gave the film a "two-thumbs up" and said it was a "satisfactory sequel to one of the most popular films of all time, The Lion King". However, they also said it was best that it went to video, citing that the music was lacking and not remotely equal to the original's soundtrack.[27] TV Guide gave the film 2½ stars out of four, claiming that, despite being of slightly higher quality than Disney's previous direct-to-video animated sequels, "comes nowhere near the level of its big-screen predecessor", either musically or artistically. The review later went on to say that "Though most of the original characters and their voices are back, they all sound bored, apart from the zesty addition of Suzanne Pleshette as the scheming Zira. The overall result is OK for kids, who will enjoy the low humor provided by the comical meerkat Timon and the flatulent warthog Pumbaa, but it could have been so much better."[28]

text: Writing for Variety, Joe Leydon commented in his review "In marked contrast to most of the studio's small screen sequels to bigscreen animated hits, the new pic isn't merely kids' stuff. Not unlike its predecessor, Lion King II has enough across-the-board appeal to entertain viewers of all ages."[29] Caryn James of The New York Times concluded her review with "It's the rare sequel that matches the creative flair of an original, of course. The Lion King II may be derivative, but it is also winning on its own."[8]

text: Entertainment Weekly critic Stephen Witty, who graded the sequel a C+, wrote, "Despite its drawbacks, The Lion King II could make a decent rental for undemanding under-7 fans of the original, who won't be overburdened by the psychodrama. For true believers who've already watched and rewound their copies to shreds, it might even make a good buy. And for them, hey, hakuna matata. But for the rest of us, caveat emptor might be a better motto."[30] James Plath of Movie Metropolis gave the film 6/10, saying that, "Simply put, we've seen it all before."[31] Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema Crazed derided, "the sequel is as predictable a sequel as can be. It takes from The Fox and the Hound with shades of Romeo and Juliet and side steps the interesting Simba in favor of his bland daughter Kiara, and Timon and Pumba [sic]."[32]

text: Music[edit]

text: Songs[edit]

text: The songwriters were Marty Panzer, Tom Snow, Kevin Quinn, Randy Petersen, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Lebo M, Jack Feldman, Scott Warrender, and Joss Whedon.

text:
"He Lives in You" – Sung by Lebo M and his African choir. This song represents Kiara's birth and is the equivalent of "Circle of Life". The song is a reference to when Rafiki told Simba in the first film that Mufasa "lives" in him. Also appears in the Broadway version of the first film. The end title is performed by Tina Turner.
"We Are One" – Sung by Cam Clarke and Charity Sanoy. Following Kiara's encounter with Kovu and Zira in which she endangers herself, Simba explains how important she is to the pride and that the pride is one.
"My Lullaby" – Sung by Suzanne Pleshette, Andy Dick, and Crysta Macalush. Zira's lullaby to Kovu, which outlines her plot for him to kill Simba and how proud it would make her.
"Upendi" – Sung by Robert Guillaume, Liz Callaway, Gene Miller, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Rafiki's song to Kiara and Kovu about love, friendship, and happiness. Sung by Rafiki and his animal friends.
"Not One of Us" – Sung following Kovu being exiled by Simba after he accuses Kovu of betraying him. This was the first time the animals other than lions outside of the main characters (excluding The Lion King 1½) have been seen talking.
"Love Will Find a Way" – Sung by Liz Callaway and Gene Miller. A romantic love song that includes of Kiara and Kovu's first encounter following Kovu's banishment. The pair concludes that their mutual feelings for each other are too strong and true for their differences to keep them apart. The end title version is performed by R&B artists Kenny Lattimore and Heather Headley.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: An audio CD entitled Return to Pride Rock: Songs Inspired by Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was released on September 8, 1998. Although not promoted as a soundtrack to the film, it contained all the songs from the film and some additional songs inspired by it by Lebo M.

text: Related television series[edit]

text: In January 2016, a television series titled The Lion Guard began airing on Disney Junior, following a television pilot film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in November 2015. The series takes place during the years in-between Kiara's first meeting with Kovu as a cub and her first hunt as a young adult.[33] It focuses on Kiara's younger brother Kion who as second-born, becomes leader of The Lion Guard, a group who protect the Pride Lands and defend the Circle of Life.

text: Kovu, Nuka, Vitani and Zira appear in the season one episode "Lions of the Outlands".


document_title: Twelve Olympians

question_text: who is chief god according to ancient greek myth

root

text: Twelve Olympians

text: Olympians[edit]

text: The Olympians were the principal deities of the Greek pantheon, so named because of their residency atop Mount Olympus. They gained their supremacy in a ten-year-long war of gods, in which Zeus led his siblings to victory over the previous generation of ruling gods, the Titans. They were a family of gods, the most important consisting of the first generation of Olympians, offspring of the Titans Cronus and Rhea: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia, along with the principal offspring of Zeus: Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite,[3] Hephaestus, Hermes, and Dionysus. Although Hades was a major deity in the Greek pantheon, and was the brother of Zeus and the other first generation of Olympians, his realm was far away from Olympus in the underworld, and thus he was not usually considered to be one of the Olympians.[4]

tag: p

text: The canonical number of Olympian gods was twelve, but besides the (thirteen) principal Olympians listed above, there were many other residents of Olympus, who thus might be called Olympians.[5] Heracles became a resident of Olympus after his apotheosis and married another Olympian resident Hebe.[6] Some others who might be considered Olympians, include: the Muses, the Graces, Iris, Dione, Eileithyia, the Horae, and Ganymede.[7]

text: Twelve gods[edit]

text: Besides the twelve Olympians, there were many other various cultic groupings of twelve gods throughout ancient Greece. The earliest evidence of Greek religious practice involving twelve gods (Greek: Δωδεκάθεον, Dodekatheon, from dōdeka, "twelve" and theoi, "gods") comes no earlier than the late sixth century BC.[8] According to Thucydides, an altar of the twelve gods was established in the agora of Athens by the archon Pisistratus (son of Hippias, and the grandson of the tyrant Pisistratus), in c. 522 BC.[9] The altar became the central point from which distances from Athens were measured and a place of supplication and refuge.[10]

text: Olympia apparently also had an early tradition of twelve gods.[11] The Homeric Hymn to Hermes (c. 500 BC) has the god Hermes divide a sacrifice of two cows he has stolen from Apollo, into twelve parts, on the banks of the river Alpheius (presumably at Olympia):

text: Pindar, in an ode written to be sung at Olympia c. 480 BC, has Heracles sacrificing, alongside the Alpheius, to the "twelve ruling gods":[13]

text: Another of Pindar's Olympian odes, mentions "six double altars".[15] Herodorus of Heraclea (c. 400 BC) also has Heracles founding a shrine at Olympia, with six pairs of gods, each pair sharing a single altar.[16]

text: Many other places had cults of the twelve gods, including Delos, Chalcedon, Magnesia on the Maeander, and Leontinoi in Sicily.[17] As with the twelve Olympians, although the number of gods was fixed at twelve, the membership varied.[18] While the majority of the gods included as members of these other cults of twelve gods were Olympians, non-Olympians were also sometimes included. For example, Herodorus of Heraclea identified the six pairs of gods at Olympia as: Zeus and Poseidon, Hera and Athena, Hermes and Apollo, the Graces and Dionysus, Artemis and Alpheus, and Cronus and Rhea.[19] Thus while this list includes the eight Olympians: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus, it also contains three clear non-Olympians: the Titan parents of the first generation of Olympians, Cronus and Rhea, and the river god Alpheius, with the status of the Graces (here apparently counted as one god) being unclear.

text: Plato connected "twelve gods" with the twelve months, and implies that he considered Pluto one of the twelve in proposing that the final month be devoted to him and the spirits of the dead.[20]

text: The Roman poet Ennius gives the Roman equivalents (the Dii Consentes) as six male-female complements,[21] preserving the place of Vesta (Greek Hestia), who played a crucial role in Roman religion as a state goddess maintained by the Vestals.

text: List[edit]

text: There is no single canonical list of the twelve Olympian gods. The thirteen gods and goddesses most commonly considered to be one of the twelve Olympians are listed below.

text:
Greek
Roman
Image
Functions and attributes

Zeus
Jupiter

King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order and justice. Youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, lion, scepter, and scales. Brother and husband of Hera, although he had many lovers, also brother of Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia.

Hera
Juno

Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage, women, childbirth and family. Symbols include the peacock, cuckoo, and cow. Youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus' lovers and their children.

Poseidon
Neptune

God of the seas, water, storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and horses. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin, and trident. Middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to the Nereid Amphitrite, although, like most male Greek gods, he had many lovers.

Demeter
Ceres

Goddess of the harvest, fertility, agriculture, nature and the seasons. Who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, cornucopia, and pig. Middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Also the lover of Zeus and Poseidon, and the mother of Persephone.

Athena
Minerva

Goddess of wisdom, knowledge, reason, intelligent activity, literature, handicrafts, science, defense and strategic warfare. Symbols include the owl and the olive tree. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Metis, she rose from her father's head fully grown and in full battle armor.

Apollo/
Apollon[A]
Apollo[A]

God of light, the sun, prophecy, philosophy, truth, inspiration, poetry, music, arts, medicine, healing, and plague. Symbols include the sun, lyre, swan, and mouse. Son of Zeus and Leto, and twin brother of Artemis.

Artemis
Diana

Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, virginity, the moon, archery, childbirth, protection and plaque. Symbols include the moon, horse, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree, and bow and arrow. Daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo.

Ares
Mars

God of war, violence, bloodshed and manly virtues. Symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear, and shield. Son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods despised him. His Latin name, Mars, gave us the word "martial."

Aphrodite
Venus

Goddess of love, pleasure, passion, procreation, fertility, beauty and desire. Symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, myrtle, and rose. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Dione, or perhaps born from the sea foam after Uranus' semen dripped into the sea after being castrated by his youngest son, Cronus, who then threw his father's genitals into the sea. Married to Hephaestus, although she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with Ares. Her name gave us the word "aphrodisiac", while her Latin name, Venus, gave us the word "venereal".[B]

Hephaestus
Vulcan

Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of the forge, craftsmanship, invention, fire and volcanoes. Symbols include fire, anvil, axe, donkey, hammer, tongs, and quail. Son of Hera, either by Zeus or alone. Married to Aphrodite, though unlike most divine husbands, he was rarely ever licentious. His Latin name, Vulcan, gave us the word "volcano."

Hermes
Mercury

Messenger of the gods; god of travel, commerce, communication, borders, eloquence, diplomacy, thieves and games. Symbols include the caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork, and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre). Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus.

tag: table

text: Most listings include either one or the other of the following deities as one of the twelve Olympians.

text:
Greek
Roman
Image
Functions and attributes

Hestia
Vesta

Goddess of the hearth, fire and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family; she was born into the first Olympian generation and was one of the original twelve Olympians. Some lists of the Twelve Olympians omit her in favor of Dionysus, but the speculation that she gave her throne to him in order to keep the peace seems to be modern invention. She is the first child of Cronus and Rhea, eldest sister of Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, and Zeus.

Dionysus (or
Bacchus)
Bacchus

God of wine, the grape vine, fertility, festivity, ecstasy, madness and resurrection. Patron god of the art of theatre. Symbols include the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard, dolphin, goat, and pinecone. Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele. Married to the Cretan princess Ariadne. The youngest Olympian god, as well as the only one to have a mortal mother.

text:
Notes

^ Romans also associated Phoebus with Helios and the sun itself,[22][23] however, they also used the Greek name Apollon in a Latinized form Apollo.[24]
^ According to an alternate version of her birth, Aphrodite was born of Uranus, Zeus' grandfather, after Cronus threw his castrated genitals into the sea. This supports the etymology of her name, "foam-born". As such, Aphrodite would belong to the same generation as Cronus, Zeus' father, and would be Zeus' aunt. See the birth of Aphrodite

tag: ol

text: Genealogy[edit]

text:
[hide]Major Olympians' family tree [25]

Uranus

Gaia

Uranus' genitals

Cronus

Rhea

ZEUS

HERA

POSEIDON

Hades

DEMETER

HESTIA

    a [26]

     b [27]

ARES

HEPHAESTUS

Metis

ATHENA [28]

Leto

APOLLO

ARTEMIS

Maia

HERMES

Semele

DIONYSUS

Dione

    a [29]

     b [30]

APHRODITE


question_text: how many tournament grass courts does wimbledon have

text: History[edit]

text: The Club was founded by six gentlemen[a] at the offices of The Field on 23 July 1868 at the height of a croquet craze[6] as the All England Croquet Club, and held its first croquet competition in 1870. Its original ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon. Croquet was very popular there until the then-infant sport of lawn tennis (a game introduced by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so prior, and originally called Sphairistikè) was introduced in 1875,[7] when one lawn was set aside for this purpose.[8] The first tennis Gentlemen's Championship in Singles was held in July 1877, when the Club changed its name to The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. That year at Wimbledon service was underarm. The champion, Spencer Gore, opined that "Lawn tennis will never rank among our great games."[9] In 1878 the height of the net was altered to 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) at the posts and 3 feet (0.91 m) at the centre.[10] In 1882, croquet was dropped from the name, as tennis had become the main activity of the Club. But in 1899 it was restored to the Club's name for sentimental reasons, and the Club's name became The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

text: In 1884, the Club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles, and then in 1913 Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles.[11] For the 1908 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the Grass Courts tennis events.[12] The early Club colours were found to be almost identical to those of the Royal Marines, so they were changed in 1909 to the present Club colours of dark green and purple.[13] The popularity of Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen was largely responsible for forcing the Club to move to larger grounds at its present site in Church Road, Wimbledon, in 1922,[14] where its first Championship was "plagued by rain each day".[15]

text: The current Centre Court dates from that year. It has been improved and extended on several occasions. Most recently a sliding roof was added in time for the 2009 Championships. In 1924 the old No.1 Court opened on the west side of Centre Court. During World War II The Championships were suspended but the Club remained open with a much smaller staff, and was used for fire and ambulance services, British Home Guard, and a decontamination unit, and troops stationed nearby drilled on the main concourse. At 5:20 p.m. on October 11, 1940, five 500 pound German bombs struck the grounds, demolishing 1,200 seats in Centre Court.[16] The old No.1 Court was replaced with the current No.1 Court in 1997, and the Broadcast Centre was built at the same time. Shortly afterwards, the Millennium Building, which houses facilities for players, press, officials and members, was built on the site of the old No.1 Court.

text: The Church Road site initially extended only as far north as Centre Court. In 1967 the All England Club purchased 11 acres (4.5 ha) to the north. This was leased to the New Zealand Sports and Social Club and became known as Aorangi Park (Aorangi means "Cloud Piercer", and is the Māori part of Aoraki/Mount Cook; "Aorangi" is the standard Māori spelling and "Aoraki" is used in the Māori dialect in the vicinity of the mountain). It is most commonly known as 'Henman Hill' because of the popularity of former British tennis player, Tim Henman. Initially the only use that the All England Club itself made of this new land was for car parking during The Championships, but in 1981 the New Zealanders' lease was terminated, and the Club has developed most of the area for its own purposes.

text: The All England Club, through its subsidiary The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc, issues debentures to tennis fans every five years to raise funds for capital expenditure.[17] The original debentures were issued in 1920. Each debenture provides a pair of tickets for each day of the tournament for five years. Only debenture holders are legally permitted to sell on their tickets to third parties.

text: The Club was the venue for the tennis event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[18][19]

text: Facilities[edit]

text: The Club currently has 18 tournament grass courts, eight American clay courts, two acrylic courts and five indoor courts. There are also 22 Aorangi Park grass courts, which serve as competitors' practice courts before and during The Championships. The grass courts can be used from May until September. The grass has been cut to 8 mm since 1995, and 100% perennial ryegrass has been used for its strength since 2001 (prior to that, it was 70% perennial rye and 30% creeping red fescue).[20][21] The courts are renovated in September, using nine tons of grass seed annually.[22]

text: The largest court is Centre Court, which usually hosts the finals of the main singles and doubles events at The Championships. The quotation above the players' entrance to Centre Court is an extract from the poem "If—", by Rudyard Kipling, which reads: "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same." This court also served as the main venue for the tennis events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Initially, the courts were arranged in such a way that the principal court was situated in the middle with the others arranged around it; hence the title "Centre Court".[23]

text: The present Centre Court, built in 1922 upon the move of the Club, was not actually in the centre at the time it was built, but as new courts were added in later years it became a more accurate description. It currently seats 15,000 – expanded from 14,000 following redevelopment in 2007–08 (spatially, the expansion is greater than those numbers imply, as seats have been widened), and (as of 2009) is the fourth-largest tennis stadium in the world.[24] The Club installed a retractable roof on Centre Court which was completed in May 2009. It is a 'folding concertina' made of 5,200 square metres of a translucent waterproof fabric that allows natural light to reach the grass, and opens/closes in under 10 minutes.[25] Redevelopment work commenced in 2006 and Centre Court had no roof at all in place for the duration of the 2007 Championships.

text: The other 'show court' is No.1 Court, built in 1997, which holds around 11,500 people and occasionally plays host to Davis Cup matches (Centre Court usually being reserved for the Wimbledon Championships). This is to be fitted with a retractable roof similar to Centre Court in time for the 2019 Championships.[26]

text: A new No.2 Court with 4,000 seats was first used at the 2009 Championships. The old No.2 Court was renamed No.3 Court in 2009, and was rebuilt after the 2009 Championships. The grounds are set to undergo major renovation in the coming years as part of the Wimbledon Master Plan.[27]

text: The Club also houses the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.

text: The Championships[edit]

text: Among the features that differentiate The Championships from the other Grand Slams are that they are played on grass courts, they require the players to wear white, and they schedule a day off on the middle Sunday of the tournament (though sometimes — such as in 2004 and 2016 — poor weather has meant play has needed to take place).[28] The winner of the Gentlemen's singles at The Championships receives a gold trophy inscribed with the words: "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World".[29]

text: The Championships attract attendance of around 450,000 people. Ninety per cent of the financial surplus that the Club generates from running The Championships is used to develop tennis in Great Britain; between 1998–2016 the surplus ranged from £25–40 million per year.[30] The Championships are run by a Committee of Management that consists of 12 club members and seven nominees of The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The 2017 Committee included the following Club members: P.G.H. Brook (Chairman), Ms S.J. Ambrose, The Lord O'Donnell GCB KCB CB, R.M. Gradon, T.H. Henman O.B.E., I.L. Hewitt, Mrs A.W.L. Innes, S.A. Jones L.V.O, R.T. Stoakes, A.J.K. Tatum, Miss D A Jevans CBE, The Hon H B Weatherill.[31][32]

text: In 2003, a long-standing tradition of Centre Court players bowing or curtseying to the Royal Box was discontinued by order of the Duke of Kent, President of the Club since 1969, who deemed it an anachronism in modern times. The only exception would be if the Queen or the Prince of Wales were to attend.[33] Andy Murray and Jarkko Nieminen elected to bow when the Queen visited The Championships for their 2010 second round match, as did Roger Federer and Fabio Fognini at their second round match, watched by the Prince of Wales, in 2012. In December 2016, it was announced that the Duchess of Cambridge would succeed The Queen as Patron of The AELTC and The Championships, effective January 2017.

text: Racism and sexism controversies[edit]

text: Black players were not allowed to play at the Club until 1951, and Jews were not admitted until 1952.[34] According to Angela Buxton, the Jewish former British Wimbledon doubles champion, it also has led to her exclusion.[35] Buxton said in 2004, reflecting on the fact that the All England Club, almost 50 years after Buxton's 1956 Wimbledon triumph with Althea Gibson, had still not invited Buxton to join: "I think the anti-Semitism is still there. The mere fact that I'm not a member is a full sentence that speaks for itself." Buxton told New York Post reporter Marc Berman that she had been on the "waiting list" since she applied in the 1950s.[36] "I wish it still wasn't such an elite sport," Buxton told Berman. "I wish we could bring it down to a common baseline. It's going that way. It's still not there."[37][38][39]

text: In 2006, Chairman Tim Phillips said that paying men and women equal prize money at The Championships was something they "fundamentally don’t think would be fair on the men." (due to men playing best-of-five sets, and women only best-of-three). The Championships introduced equal prize money the following year.[40]


document_title: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

question_text: who is joining real housewives of beverly hills

text: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

text: Overview and casting[edit]

text: Season 1–4[edit]

text: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was announced in March 2010 as the sixth installment in the network's The Real Housewives franchise.[2] The cast was announced on August 31, 2010, with former child actresses (and Paris Hilton's aunts[3]) Kim Richards and Kyle Richards, heiress/businesswoman Adrienne Maloof, restaurant owner/entrepreneur Lisa Vanderpump, actor Kelsey Grammer's former wife Camille Grammer, and (now widowed) investment banker's wife Taylor Armstrong.[4][5][6][7] The first season premiered on October 14, 2010, scoring over 1.5 million viewers[8] and the series' ratings continued to grow, attracting 3.7 million viewers between the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. airings for the January 13, 2011 episode, making it the number one telecast among adults 18–49 versus all cable competition in the time slot.[9]

text: The January 20, 2011 finale became the highest-rated episode of the season with 4.2 million viewers, when combined with multiple evening reruns.[10] The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' first season ranked as the second highest rated first season series of the Real Housewives franchise ever in all demographics, averaging 2.42 million total viewers and 1.71 million adults 18–49.[11] The series also received a 2011 Critics Choice Award for best reality series.[11]

text: The series' second season renewal was announced in March 2011[12] and premiered on September 5, 2011.[11] The entire season one cast returned, and Brandi Glanville and Dana Wilkey were each introduced to the series as a friend of the housewives".[13][14] Grammer left the main cast after season two, and the second season was re-edited after the death of Taylor Armstrong's husband, Russell Armstrong, who committed suicide on August 15, 2011.[15][16]

text: The third-season premiere aired on November 5, 2012. Brandi Glanville was upgraded to main housewife, and Yolanda Foster (now Hadid) was added to the series. Marisa Zanuck was introduced as a friend of the housewives, and Camille Grammer held the same title.[17] Faye Resnick officially joined the show as a friend of the housewives mid-season.[18] Ratings for season 3 decreased from previous seasons. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills hit a season high of 2.35 million viewers and a 1.1 rating (18–49 aged viewers) on November 26, 2012,[19] then plunged by 34% to a two-season low on March 11, 2013, with 1.56 million viewers and a 0.7 18–49 rating.[20]

text: The series was officially renewed for a fourth season on April 2, 2013.[21] Kyle Richards, Kim Richards, Brandi Glanville, Lisa Vanderpump, and Yolanda Foster all returned. Adrienne Maloof did not return for the fourth season, nor did she attend the season three reunion that was filmed March 1, 2013.[22] Camille Grammer and Faye Resnick did not appear at all.[23][24][25] Marisa Zanuck later revealed that producers did not ask her to return for the fourth season.[26] TMZ posted a video of musician Rod Stewart stating that his wife, Penny Lancaster, turned down an offer from Bravo to be a part of the cast for the fourth season. Speculation began in April 2013 that Lisa Rinna would be joining the series for the fourth season, but a representative for Bravo stated that — at the time — there was "no truth" to the story.[27][28] E! News confirmed that Carlton Gebbia and Joyce Giraud de Ohoven had joined the main cast, while Taylor Armstrong had been demoted to a guest role.[29] The fourth season premiered on November 4, 2013.[30]

text: Season 5–present[edit]

text: The fifth season renewal of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was announced in April 2014.[31] On May 28, 2014, it was reported that both Joyce Giraud and Carlton Gebbia would not be returning for the upcoming season.[32] The fifth season began filming on June 20, 2014, with Lisa Vanderpump, Brandi Glanville, Kim and Kyle Richards, and Yolanda Foster returning.[33][34] By July 2014, it was reported that Rinna had signed on for the fifth season,[35][36][37][38] together with another Days of Our Lives alumna, Eileen Davidson.[39] In addition, original housewives Maloof, Grammer, and Armstrong returned to the series for multiple appearances.[40][41] The fifth season premiered on November 18, 2014.[42]

text: In June 2015, it was confirmed that both Kim Richards and Brandi Glanville would not return as housewives for the sixth season.[43][44][45] In August, E! News reported that singer Erika Girardi would be joining the series for the upcoming sixth season.[46] In November, it was officially confirmed that Erika Girardi and Kathryn Edwards would join the show as housewives; former cast members, including Kim Richards, Grammer, Armstrong, Resnick, Maloof, and Glanville would make guest appearances, alongside Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of New York City.[47]

text: In April 2016, Bravo announced that the series was renewed for a seventh season.[48] On June 15, 2016, Hadid announced that she would not be returning to the show for season seven.[49] On July 7, 2016, Vanderpump confirmed that she would return for the show's seventh season while Edwards announced that she would be departing from the cast after one season.[50][51] In August 2016, Davidson confirmed she would return for her third consecutive season.[52] Also in August, Bravo officially confirmed the return of Vanderpump and Kyle Richards for season seven, while Richards revealed that filming for the season had begun by sharing footage of the camera crew in her kitchen.[53]

text: In September 2016, Eden Sassoon, daughter of hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, confirmed she was filming for the upcoming season, but at that time, her role had yet to be determined, while original cast member Grammer confirmed she was also filming for the new season, describing a party that was filmed in Malibu, which Kyle Richards, Girardi, and Davidson also attended.[54][55] Later in September, Vanderpump confirmed her close friend, Dorit Kemsley, had been filming for the seventh season, and that Glanville would not be making any appearances.[56] On September 19, 2016, during an interview with Access Hollywood, Kyle Richards confirmed that Eden Sassoon would appear in a recurring capacity. In the same interview, Rinna also confirmed Eden Sassoon's arrival to the series, as well as confirming her own return.[57]

text: On October 27, 2016, Bravo officially confirmed that the seventh season would feature six housewives; including the previously confirmed Vanderpump and Kyle Richards alongside newly confirmed Rinna.[58] In the following days, Bravo also confirmed Davidson and Girardi's return.[59][60] On November 1, 2016, Bravo announced that the seventh season would premiere on December 6, 2016, with Vanderpump, Kyle Richards, Davidson, Rinna, and Girardi returning full-time with new cast-member, Dorit Kemsley, along with Eden Sassoon in a recurring capacity. The release of the trailer for the seventh season confirmed that former cast-members, Grammer and Kim Richards would make guest appearances.[61][62]

text: In April 2017, the series was renewed for its eighth season.[63] On May 3, 2017, Eden Sassoon announced she would not return to the series for its eighth season.[64] In June 2017, Girardi announced her return to the series for her third consecutive season.[65] That same month, Davidson announced her departure from the series, citing her work schedules at The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives as to why it was best to "step away from being a housewife for now."[66]

text: Timeline of housewives[edit]

text:
Housewives
Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Kyle Richards
Main

Lisa Vanderpump
Main

Kim Richards
Main
Guest

Taylor Armstrong
Main
Guest

Adrienne Maloof
Main

Guest

Camille Grammer
Main
Friend

Guest

Brandi Glanville

Friend
Main
Guest

Yolanda Hadid

Main

Carlton Gebbia

Main

Joyce Giraud de Ohoven

Main

Eileen Davidson

Main

Lisa Rinna

Guest
Main

Erika Girardi

Main

Kathryn Edwards

Main

Dorit Kemsley

Main

Friends of the housewives

Dana Wilkey
Guest
Friend
Guest

Faye Resnick
Guest
Friend

Guest

Marisa Zanuck

Friend

Eden Sassoon

Friend

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
17
October 14, 2010
February 15, 2011

2
24
September 5, 2011
February 16, 2012

3
22
November 5, 2012
April 8, 2013

4
23
November 4, 2013
April 7, 2014

5
23
November 18, 2014
April 21, 2015

6
24
December 1, 2015
May 10, 2016

7
21
December 6, 2016
April 25, 2017


document_title: Northern water snake

question_text: what does the lake erie water snake eat

question_tokens: what does the lake erie water snake eat

text: Northern water snake

text: Common names[edit]

text: Common names for Nerodia sipedon include banded water snake, black water adder, black water snake, brown water snake, common water snake, common northern water snake, eastern water snake, North American water snake, northern banded water snake, northern water snake, spotted water snake, streaked snake, water pilot and water snake.[4]

text: Description[edit]

text: The northern water snake can grow up to 135 cm (4 ft 5 in) in total length (including tail).[5] Per one study, average total length of females was 81.4 cm (2 ft 8 in) while that of males was 69.6 cm (2 ft 3 in).[6] Per known studies of this species in the wild, adult females can weigh between 158.9 and 408 g (5.61 and 14.39 oz) in average body mass while the smaller male can average from 80.8 to 151 g (2.85 to 5.33 oz).[7][8][9][10] The largest females can weigh up to 560 g (20 oz) while the largest males can scale 370 g (13 oz).[11][12]

text: N. sipedon can be brown, gray, reddish, or brownish-black. It has dark crossbands on the neck and dark blotches on the rest of the body, often leading to misidentification as a cottonmouth or copperhead by novices. As N. sipedon ages, the color darkens, and the pattern becomes obscure. Some individuals will become almost completely black. The belly also varies in color. It can be white, yellow, or gray. Usually it also has reddish or black crescents.

text: The northern water snake is nonvenomous and harmless to humans, but superficially resembles the venomous cottonmouth and is often killed unnecessarily as a result of this mistaken identity. The two can be easily distinguished by morphological traits: the water snake has a longer, more slender body and a flattened head the same width as the neck, round pupils, and no heat-sensing pits. The cottonmouth has a fatter body, a wedge-shaped head with prominent venom glands that is wider than the neck, cat-like pupils, and heat-sensing pits between the eyes and the nostrils.[13]

text: Colubrid snakes also have flat scales upon their heads, while vipers all possess smaller, rugose scutes.

text: Subspecies[edit]

text: The following four subspecies are recognized as being valid (listed alphabetically).[2]

text:
Nerodia sipedon insularum (Conant & Clay, 1937) – Lake Erie water snake
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis (Cope, 1892) – midland water snake
Nerodia sipedon sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758) – northern water snake
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi (Conant & Lazell, 1973) – Carolina water snake

tag: ul

text: Geographic range[edit]

text: The northern water snake is found throughout eastern and central North America, from southern Ontario and southern Quebec in the north, to Texas and Florida in the south.[14] It has been introduced in California where it is considered an invasive species likely to compete with native giant garter snakes Thamnophis gigas.[15]

text: Behavior[edit]

text: N. sipedon is active during the day and at night. It is most often seen basking on rocks, stumps, or brush. During the day, it hunts among plants at the water's edge, looking for small fish, frogs, worms, leeches, crayfish, salamanders, small birds and mammals[citation needed]. At night, it concentrates on minnows and other small fish sleeping in shallow water. It hunts using smell, and sight. The Lake Erie water snake subspecies, Nerodia sipedon insularum, was once endangered, but now benefits from the introduction of the round goby, an invasive species, which now comprises up to 90% of its diet.

text: The northern water snake is extremely common over most of its range and is frequently seen basking on stream banks, from which it dives into the water at the slightest disturbance. It is quick to flee from danger, but if cornered or captured, it usually will not hesitate to defend itself. Large specimens can inflict a painful bite.

text: Reproduction[edit]

text: The northern water snake mates from April through June. It is ovoviviparous (live-bearing), which means it does not lay eggs like many other snakes. Instead, the mother carries the eggs inside her body and gives birth to free living young, each one 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long.[16] A female may have as many as thirty young at a time, but the average is eight. They are born between August and October. Mothers do not care for their young; as soon as they are born, they are on their own.

text: Defense against predators[edit]

text: N. sipedon has many predators, including birds, raccoons, opossums, foxes, snapping turtles, other snakes, and people. The northern water snake defends itself vigorously when threatened. If picked up by an animal, or person, it will bite repeatedly, as well as release excrement and musk. Its saliva contains a mild anticoagulant, which can cause the bite to bleed more but poses little risk to humans.

text: Habitats[edit]

text: Muskrat houses and beaver lodges are good places to find the northern water snake, which likes to hide among the sticks and plant stems. N. sipedon lives near lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and canals; just about anywhere there is freshwater.[citation needed]

text: Conservation status[edit]

text: The Lake Erie water snake subspecies (Nerodia sipedon insularum), which occurs mainly on the lake's western islands offshore from Ohio and Ontario, recovered to the point where on August 16, 2011 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed it from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The subspecies was first listed as threatened in 1999 after a decline due to eradication by humans, as well as habitat loss and degradation. When initially listed, the subspecies’ population had dropped to only 1,500 adults. Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the snake included designation of 300 acres (121 hectares) of inland habitat and 11 miles (18 km) of shoreline for breeding grounds. The introduction of an invasive species, the Eurasian round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) into Lake Erie in the mid-1990s became a new food source for the Lake Erie water snake. By 2009, the population recovered to 11,980 snakes, safely exceeding the population minimum goal of 5,555 adult snakes required by the 2003 recovery plan. Monitoring will occur for 5 years following this delisting. The Lake Erie water snake is just the 23rd species or subspecies to be removed from the list due to recovery.[17]

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Nerodia sipedon swimming in Chesapeake Bay in the United States

Nerodia sipedon swimming in the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry in the United States

Mature northern water snake sunning itself near Battersea, Ontario in Canada.

Preparing to moult, Prince Edward County, Ontario

Hunting on a beach near Georgian Bay, Ontario

Close-up

Northern water snake swimming in pond Hayesville, North Carolina.

Basking in the sun along French Creek, Pennsylvania

Northern water snake tasting the air as it swims towards the bank in Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area

A northern water snake keeps a close eye out


document_title: Supreme Court of India

question_text: who appoints the judge of supreme court in india

question_tokens: who appoints the judge of supreme court in india

text: Supreme Court of India

text: History[edit]

text: In 1861 the Indian High Courts Act 1861 was enacted to create high courts for various provinces and abolished supreme courts at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay and also the sadar adalats in presidency towns which had acted as the highest court in their respective regions. These new high courts had the distinction of being the highest courts for all cases till the creation of Federal Court of India under the Government of India Act 1935. The Federal Court had jurisdiction to solve disputes between provinces and federal states and hear appeal against judgements of the high courts. The first CJI of India was H.J.Kania.[4]

text: The Supreme Court of India came into being on 28 January 1950.[5] It replaced both the Federal Court of India and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which were then at the apex of the Indian court system.

text: Supreme court initially had its seat at Chamber of Princes in the parliament building where the previous Federal Court of India sat from 1937 to 1950. The first Chief Justice of India was Sir H J Kania. In 1958, the supreme court moved to its present premises.[5] Originally, the Constitution of India envisaged a supreme court with a chief justice and seven judges; leaving it to parliament to increase this number.[6] In formative years, the supreme court met from 10 to 12 in the morning and then 2 to 4 in the afternoon for 28 days in a month.[7]

text: Court building architecture[edit]

text: The building is shaped to symbolize scales of justice with its centre-beam being the Central Wing of the building comprising the chief justice’s court, the largest of the courtrooms, with two court halls on either side. The Right Wing of the structure has the bar – room, the offices of the Attorney General of India and other law officers and the library of the court. The Left Wing has the offices of the court. In all, there are 15 courtrooms in the various wings of the building.[4][5][8]

text: The foundation stone of the supreme court's building was laid on 29 October 1954 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. The main block of the building has been built on a triangular plot of 17 acres and has been designed in an Indo-British style by the chief architect Ganesh Bhikaji Deolalikar, the first Indian to head the Central Public Works Department.It has a 27.6 m (90 ft 7 in) high dome and a spacious colonnaded verandah. The Court moved into the building in 1958. In 1979, two new wings – the East Wing and the West Wing – were added to the complex. 1994 saw the last extension.[5]

text: Mother and Child Sculpture[edit]

text: On 20 February 1980, a black bronze sculpture of 210 cm (6 ft 11 in) height was installed in the lawn of the supreme court. It portrays Mother India in the form of the figure of a lady, sheltering the young Republic of India represented by the symbol of a child, who is upholding the laws of land symbolically shown in the form of an open book. On the book, a balance beam is shown, which represents dispensation of equal justice to all. The sculpture was made by the renowned artist Chintamoni Kar. The sculpture is just behind the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

text: Seal[edit]

text: The design of the Court's seal is reproduced from the wheel that appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion capital of Asoka with 24 spokes. The inscription in Sanskrit, यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः (IAST: Yato Dharmastato Jayaḥ, means "whence law (dharma), thence victory". It is also referred to – as the wheel of righteousness, encompassing truth, goodness and equity.[4]

text: Constitution of the court[edit]

text: Registry[edit]

text: The registry of the supreme court is headed by the Secretary-General who is assisted by 8 registrars, several additional and deputy registrars, etc., with 1770 employees in all (221 gazetted officers, 805 non-gazetted and 744 Class IV employees)[9] Article 146 of the constitution deals with the appointments of officers and servants of the supreme court registry.[10][11]

text: Supreme court advocates[edit]

text: Supreme Court Rules, 2013 entitle only those advocates who are registered with the supreme court, called 'advocates-on-record' to appear, act and plead for a party in the court.[12] Those advocates who are designated as 'senior advocates' by the supreme court or any of the high courts can appear for clients along with an advocate-on-record. Any other advocate can appear for a party along with or under instructions from an advocate-on-record.

text: Composition[edit]

text: Size of the court[edit]

text: Initially the Constitution of India provided for a supreme court with a chief justice and 7 judges. In the early years, a full bench of the supreme court sat together to hear the cases presented before them. As the work of the Court increased and cases began to accumulate, parliament increased the number of judges from the original 8 in 1950 to 10 in 1956, 13 in 1960, 17 in 1977, 26 in 1986 and 31 in 2008 (current strength). As the number of the judges has increased, they sit in smaller benches of two or three (referred to as a division bench) [13]— coming together in larger benches of five or more (referred to as a constitution bench) when required to settle fundamental questions of law. A bench may refer a case before it to a larger bench, should the need arise.[14]

text: Eligibility of a judge of the Supreme Court[edit]

text: A citizen of India not exceeding 65 years age per Article 124 of the constitution who has been

text:
a judge of one high court or more (continuously), for at least five years, or
an advocate there, for at least ten years, or
a distinguished jurist, in the opinion of the president,power conferred by clause(2) of article 124 of the Constitution of India

text: is eligible to be recommended for appointment, a judge of the supreme court.[15]

text: Court demographics[edit]

text: I am proud to be an Indian. India is the only country where a member of the minority Parsi community with a population of 1,67,000, like myself, can aspire to attain the post of the Chief Justice of India. These things do not happen in our neighbouring countries.

text: In practice, judges of the supreme court have been selected so far, mostly from amongst judges of the high courts. Barely seven justices — S. M. Sikri, S. Chandra Roy, Kuldip Singh, Santosh Hegde, R. F. Nariman, U. U. Lalit, L. Nageswara Rao and Indu Malhotra— have been appointed to the supreme court directly from the bar (i.e. who were practising advocates).[18][19]

text: The supreme court saw its first woman judge when Justice M. Fathima Beevi was sworn into office in 1989.[20] The seventh and the most recent woman judge in the court is Justice Indu Malhotra.[21][22] In 1968, Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah became the first Muslim Chief Justice of India. In 2000, Justice K. G. Balakrishnan became the first judge from the dalit community. In 2007 he also became the first dalit Chief Justice of India. In 2010, Justice S. H. Kapadia coming from a Parsi minority community became the Chief Justice of India.[16][23] In 2017, Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar became the first Sikh Chief Justice of India. Indu Malhotra is the first women justice to be selected directly from bar.

text: Judicial independence[edit]

text: The constitution seeks to ensure the independence of supreme court judges in various ways. Per Article 50 of directive principles of state policy, the state shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive. Independence of the judiciary, the supremacy of the constitution and rule of law are the features of the basic structure of the constitution. Supreme court and high courts are empowered to frame suo moto cases without receiving the formal petitions/complaints on any suspected injustice including actions/acts indulging in contempt of court and contempt of the constitution by the executive, legislators, citizens, etc.[24] The main purpose of supreme court is to decide constitutional issues.[25] It is the duty of the judiciary to frame suo moto cases or to probe the cases/petitions at the earliest against the executive or legislature when laws are implemented violating the basic foundation and basic structure of the constitution as the Article 38 (1) of directive principles ensures that the state / judiciary shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing a social order in which social, economic and political justice is animated/informed in all institutions of life.[26]

text: Dr. Ambedkar clarified as given below in the Constituent Assembly debates on Article 38 (1) high lighting its inevitable implementation.

text: ... The word 'strive' which occurs in the Draft Constitution, in judgement, is very important. We have used it because our intention is even when there are circumstances which prevent the Government, or which stand in the way of the Government giving effect to these Directive Principles, they shall, even under hard and unpropitious circumstances, always strive in the fulfilment of these Directives. That is why we have used the word 'strive'. Otherwise, it would be open for any Government to say that the circumstances are so bad, that the finances are so inadequate that we cannot even make an effort in the direction in which the Constitution asks us to go.

text: Appointments and the Collegium[edit]

text: As per the constitution, as held by the court in the Three Judges Cases – (1982, 1993, 1998), a judge is appointed to the supreme court by the president on the recommendation of the collegium  — a closed group of the Chief Justice of India, the four most senior judges of the court and the senior-most judge hailing from the high court of a prospective appointee.[27] This has resulted in a Memorandum of Procedure being followed, for the appointments.

text: Judges used to be appointed by the President on the advice of the Union Cabinet. After 1993 (the Second judges' Case), no minister, or even the executive collectively, can suggest any names to the President,[28][29] who ultimately decides on appointing them from a list of names recommended only by the collegium of the judiciary. Simultaneously, as held in that judgment, the executive was given the power to reject a recommended name. However, according to some,[who?] the executive has not been diligent in using this power to reject the names of bad candidates recommended by the judiciary.[30][31][32]

text: The collegium system has come under a fair amount of criticism.[29] In 2015, the parliament passed a law to replace the collegium with a National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). This was struck down as unconstitutional by the supreme court, in the Fourth judges' Case, as the new system would undermine the independence of the judiciary.[33] Putting the old system of the collegium back, the court invited suggestions, even from the general public, on how to improve the collegium system, broadly along the lines of — setting up an eligibility criteria for appointments, a permanent secretariat to help the collegium sift through material on potential candidates, infusing more transparency into the selection process, grievance redressal and any other suggestion not in these four categories, like transfer of judges.[34] This resulted in the court asking the government and the collegium to finalize the memorandum of procedure incorporating the above.[35]

text: Once, in 2009, the recommendation for the appointment of a judge of a high court made by the collegium of that court, had come to be challenged in the supreme court. The court held that who could become a judge was a matter of fact, and any person had a right to question it. But who should become a judge was a matter of opinion and could not be questioned. As long as an effective consultation took place within a collegium in arriving at that opinion, the content or material placed before it to form the opinion could not be called for scrutiny in court.[36]

text: Tenure[edit]

text: Supreme court judges retire at the age of 65. However, there have been suggestions from the judges of the Supreme Court of India to provide for a fixed term for the judges including the Chief Justice of India.[37]

text: Salary[edit]

text: Article 125 of the Indian constitution leaves it to the Indian parliament to determine the salary, other allowances, leave of absence, pension, etc. of the supreme court judges. However, the parliament cannot alter any of these privileges and rights to the judge's disadvantage after his/her appointment.[38] A judge of the supreme court draws a salary of ₹250,000 (US$3,800) per month, equivalent to the Cabinet Secretary of India, while the chief justice earns ₹280,000 (US$4,300) per month.[39]

text: Oath of affirmation[edit]

text: As Per Article 124 and third Schedule of the constitution, the chief justice (or a judge) of the Supreme Court of India is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the President an oath or affirmation that he/she

text: will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my ability, knowledge and judgement perform the duties of my office without fear or favour, affection or ill-will and that I will uphold the Constitution and the laws.

text: Removal[edit]

text: Per Article 124(4) of the constitution, President can remove a judge on proved misbehaviour or incapacity when parliament approves with a majority of the total membership of each house in favour of impeachment and not less than two thirds of the members of each house present. For initiating impeachment proceedings against a judge, at least 50 members of Rajya Sabha or 100 members of Lok Sabha shall issue the notice as per judges (inquiry) act,1968.[40] Then a judicial committee would be formed to frame charges against the judge, to conduct the fair trial and to submit its report to parliament. When the judicial committee report finds the judge guilty of misbehaviour or incapacity, further removal proceedings would be taken up by the parliament if the judge is not resigning himself.[41][42][43]

text: The judge upon proven guilty is also liable for punishment as per applicable laws or for contempt of the constitution by breaching the oath under disrespecting constitution[44]

text: Post-retirement[edit]

text: A Person who has retired as a judge of the supreme court is debarred from practicing in any court of law or before any other authority in India.

text: Review petition[edit]

text: Article 137 of the Constitution of India lays down provision for the power of the supreme court to review its own judgements. As per this Article, subject to the provisions of any law made by parliament or any rules made under Article 145, the supreme court shall have power to review any judgment pronounced or order made by it.[45]

text: Under Order XL of the supreme court Rules, that have been framed under its powers under Article 145 of the constitution, the supreme court may review its judgment or order but no application for review is to be entertained in a civil proceeding except on the grounds mentioned in Order XLVII, Rule 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

text: Powers to punish for contempt[edit]

text: Under Articles 129 and 142 of the constitution the supreme court has been vested with power to punish anyone for contempt of any court in India including itself. The supreme court performed an unprecedented action when it directed a sitting Minister of the state of Maharashtra, Swaroop Singh Naik,[46] to be jailed for 1-month on a charge of contempt of court on 12 May 2006. This was the first time that a serving Minister was ever jailed.[47][48]

text: Rules[edit]

text: The Constitution of India under Article 145 empowers the supreme court to frame its own rules for regulating the practice and procedure of the Court as and when required (with the approval of the President of India). Accordingly, "supreme court Rules, 1950" were framed. The 1950 Rules were replaced by the supreme court Rules, 1966.[49] In 2014, supreme court notified the supreme court Rules, 2013 replacing the 1966 Rules effective from 19 August 2014.[12]

text: Roster system[edit]

text: The supreme court decided to follow a new roster system from February 5, 2018 for allocation of matters to judges. Under the new roster system, the CJI will hear all special leave petitions (SLPs), and matters related to public interest, social justice, elections, arbitration, and criminal matters, among others. The other collegium/senior judges to hear matters related to labour disputes, taxation matters, compensation matters, consumer protection matters, maritime law matters, mortgage matters, personal law matters, family law matters, land acquisition matters, service matters, company matters etc.[50]

text: Reporting and citation[edit]

text: Supreme court Reports is the official journal of reportable supreme court decisions. It is published under the authority of the Supreme Court of India by the Controller of Publications, Government of India, Delhi.[51] In addition, there are many other reputed private journals that report supreme court decisions. Some of these other important journals are: SCR (The supreme court Reports), SCC(supreme court Cases), AIR (All India Reporter), SCALE, etc.

text: Right to Information[edit]

text: In the year 2010, the supreme court filed an appeal before itself challenging the judgement of the Delhi high court holding that the office of the chief justice of India came under the ambit of the RTI Act and was liable to reveal information under it.[52] Though the supreme court is in favour of bringing CJI office under RTI act, the judgement of the pending case is not yet pronounced.[53][54]

text: Facilities on the campus[edit]

text: Legal-aid,[55][56][57] court-fee vendors, first-aid post, dental clinic, physiotherapy unit and pathology lab; rail-reservation counter, canteen, post office and a branch and 3 ATMs of UCO Bank, supreme court Museum[9] can be availed by litigants and visitors.

text: Landmark judgments[edit]

text: Land reform[edit]

text: After some of the courts overturned state laws for redistributing land from zamindar (landlord) estates on the ground that the laws violated the zamindars' fundamental rights, the parliament passed the 1st amendment to the constitution in 1951, followed by the 4th amendment in 1955, to uphold its authority to redistribute land. The supreme court countered these amendments in 1967 when it ruled in Golaknath v. State of Punjab[58] that the parliament did not have the power to abrogate fundamental rights, including the provisions on private property. The 25th amendment to the constitution in 1971 curtailed the right of a citizen to property as a fundamental right and gave authority to the government to infringe private property, which led to a furor amongst the zamindars.

text: Emergency (1975–1977)[edit]

text: The independence of judiciary was severely curtailed[59] during the Indian Emergency (1975–1977) of Indira Gandhi. The constitutional rights of imprisoned persons were restricted under Preventive detention laws passed by the parliament. In the case of Shiva Kant Shukla Additional District Magistrate of Jabalpur v. Shiv Kant Shukla, popularly known as the Habeas Corpus case, a bench of five senior-most judges of supreme court ruled in favour of state's right for unrestricted powers of detention during the emergency. Justices A.N. Ray, P. N. Bhagwati, Y. V. Chandrachud, and M.H. Beg, stated in the majority decision:[60]

text: The only dissenting opinion was from Justice H. R. Khanna, who stated:

text: It is believed that before delivering his dissenting opinion, Justice Khanna had mentioned to his sister: "I have prepared my judgment, which is going to cost me the Chief Justice-ship of India."[61] In January 1977, Justice Khanna was superseded despite being the most senior judge at the time and thereby Government broke the convention of appointing only the senior most judge to the position of Chief Justice of India. Justice Khanna remains a legendary figure among the legal fraternity in India for this decision.

text: The New York Times, wrote of this opinion: "The submission of an independent judiciary to absolutist government is virtually the last step in the destruction of a democratic society; and the Indian supreme court's decision appears close to utter surrender."

text: During the emergency period, the government also passed the 39th amendment, which sought to limit judicial review for the election of the prime minister; only a body constituted by parliament could review this election.[62] Subsequently, the parliament, with most opposition members in jail during the emergency, passed the 42nd Amendment which prevented any court from reviewing any amendment to the constitution with the exception of procedural issues concerning ratification. A few years after the emergency, however, the supreme court rejected the absoluteness of the 42nd amendment and reaffirmed its power of judicial review in the Minerva Mills case (1980).

text: Post-1980: an assertive court[edit]

text: After Indira Gandhi lost elections in 1977, the new government of Morarji Desai, and especially law minister Shanti Bhushan (who had earlier argued for the detenues in the Habeas Corpus case), introduced a number of amendments making it more difficult to declare and sustain an emergency, and reinstated much of the power to the supreme court. It is said that the Basic Structure doctrine, created in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, was strengthened in Indira Gandhi's case and set in stone in Minerva Mills v. Union of India.[63]

text: The supreme court's creative and expansive interpretations of Article 21 (Life and Personal Liberty), primarily after the Emergency period, have given rise to a new jurisprudence of public interest litigation that has vigorously promoted many important economic and social rights (constitutionally protected but not enforceable) including, but not restricted to, the rights to free education, livelihood, a clean environment,[64] food and many others. Civil and political rights (traditionally protected in the Fundamental Rights chapter of the Indian constitution) have also been expanded and more fiercely protected. These new interpretations have opened the avenue for litigation on a number of important issues.

text: Recent important cases[edit]

text: Among the important pronouncements of the supreme court post 2000 is the Coelho case I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (Judgment of 11 January 2007). A unanimous bench of 9 judges reaffirmed the basic structure doctrine. It held that a constitutional amendment which entails violation of any fundamental rights which the Court regards as forming part of the basic structure of the constitution, then the same can be struck down depending upon its impact and consequences. The judgment clearly imposes further limitations on the constituent power of parliament with respect to the principles underlying certain fundamental rights. The judgment in Coelho has in effect restored the decision in Golak Nath regarding non-amendability of the constitution on account of infraction of fundamental rights, contrary to the judgment in the Kesavananda Bharati case.

text: Another important decision was of the five-judge bench in Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India; where the constitutional validity of Central Educational Institutions (Reservations in Admissions) Act, 2006 was upheld, subject to the "creamy layer" criteria. Importantly, the Court refused to follow the 'strict scrutiny' standards of review followed by the United States supreme court. At the same time, the Court has applied the strict scrutiny standards in Anuj Garg v. Hotel Association of India (2007) ([1])a

text: 2G spectrum case[edit]

text: The supreme court declared allotment of spectrum as "unconstitutional and arbitrary" and quashed all the 122 licenses issued in 2008 during tenure of A. Raja (then minister for communications & IT), the main official accused in the 2G case.[65]

text: Black money[edit]

text: The government refused to disclose details of about 18 Indians holding accounts in LGT Bank, Liechtenstein, evoking a sharp response from a bench comprising justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar. The court ordered Special investigation team (SIT) to probe the matter.[66][67] Lack of enthusiasm made the court create a special investigative team (SIT).[68]

text: Minority reservations[edit]

text: The supreme court refused to stay the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgement quashing 4.5% sub-quota for minorities under OBC reservation quota of 27%.[69]

text: Online/postal ballot for Indian citizen living abroad (NRIs)[edit]

text: Three judge bench presided by chief justice, Justice Altamas Kabir issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission of India (EC) on the PIL filed by a group of NRIs for online/postal ballot for the Indian citizens living abroad.[70][71]

text: T. S. R. Subramanian vs. Union of India[edit]

text: While hearing T.S.R. Subramanian vs Union of India, a division bench of the supreme court ruled that—

text:
Officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), officers other All India Services, and other civil servants not required to follow oral instructions, as they 'undermine credibility'.[72][73][74][75]
Civil Services Board (CSB), headed by the Cabinet Secretary at national level, and Chief Secretary at state level, be set up to recommend transfer/postings of the officers of the All India Services (IAS, IFoS and IPS).[76][77][78][79]
Transfers of Group 'B' officers to be done by Head of Department (HoDs).[80][81]
No interference of Ministers in state, other than the Chief Minister, in transfer/postings of civil servants.[80][81]

text: These rulings were received mostly positively, and were termed as a 'major reform'.[73][75][82][83][84]

text: Recognition of transgender as 'third gender' in law[edit]

text: In April 2014, Justice K. S. Radhakrishnan declared transgender to be the 'third gender' in Indian law, in the case, National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India.[85][86][87] The ruling said:[88]

text: Seldom, our society realises or cares to realise the trauma, agony and pain which the members of Transgender community undergo, nor appreciates the innate feelings of the members of the Transgender community, especially of those whose mind and body disown their biological sex. Our society often ridicules and abuses the Transgender community and in public places like railway stations, bus stands, schools, workplaces, malls, theatres, hospitals, they are sidelined and treated as untouchables, forgetting the fact that the moral failure lies in the society's unwillingness to contain or embrace different gender identities and expressions, a mindset which we have to change.

text: Justice Radhakrishnan said that transgender people should be treated consistently with other minorities under the law, enabling them to access jobs, healthcare and education.[89] He framed the issue as one of human rights, saying that, "These TGs, even though insignificant in numbers, are still human beings and therefore they have every right to enjoy their human rights", concluding by declaring that:[88]

text: (1) Hijras, eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as "third gender" for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our constitution and the laws made by the parliament and the State Legislature.

text: (2) Transgender persons' right to decide their self-identified gender is also upheld and the Centre and State Governments are directed to grant legal recognition of their gender identity such as male, female or as third gender.

text: Relief to over 35,000 public servants[edit]

text: In B.Prabhakara Rao vs. State of A.P. involved sudden reduction in age of superannuation from 58 years to 55 years of over 35,000 public servants of State Government, public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, educational institutions and Tirupathi-Tirumalai Devasthanams (TTD). They lost first round of litigation in the supreme court. Realising the mistake, fresh legislation was brought restoring the original age of superannuation of 58 years but providing that the benefit of new legislation would not extend to those whose reduction of age of superannuation had been upheld. In challenge to this law, Subodh Markandeya argued that all that was required was to strike down naughty “not” – which found favour with the supreme court bringing relief to over 35,000 public servants.

text: Criticism[edit]

text: Corruption[edit]

text: The year 2008 saw the supreme court embroiled in several controversies, from serious allegations of corruption at the highest level of the judiciary,[90] expensive private holidays at the tax payers expense,[91] refusal to divulge details of judges' assets to the public,[92] secrecy in the appointments of judges',[93] to refusal to make information public under the Right to Information Act.[94] The chief justice K. G. Balakrishnan invited a lot of criticism for his comments on his post not being that of a public servant, but that of a constitutional authority.[95] He later went back on this stand.[96] The judiciary has come in for serious criticisms from former presidents Pratibha Patil and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for failure in handling its duties.[97] Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, has stated that corruption is one of the major challenges facing the judiciary, and suggested that there is an urgent need to eradicate this menace.[98]

text: The Cabinet Secretary of India introduced the judges Inquiry (Amendment) Bill 2008 in parliament for setting up of a panel called the National Judicial Council, headed by the Chief Justice of India, that will probe into allegations of corruption and misconduct by High Court and supreme court judges.[99][100]

text: Pending cases[edit]

text: According to supreme court newsletter, there are 58,519 cases pending in the supreme court, out of which 37,385 are pending for more than a year, at the end of 2011. Excluding connected cases, there are still 33,892 pending cases.[101] As per the latest pendency data made available by the supreme court, the total number of pending cases in the supreme court as on 1 November 2017 is 55,259 which includes 32,160 admission matters (miscellaneous) and 23,099 regular hearing matters.[102] In May, 2014, former Chief Justice of India, Justice R.M. Lodha, proposed to make Indian judiciary work throughout the year (instead of the present system of having long vacations, specially in the higher courts) in order to reduce pendency of cases in Indian courts; however, as per this proposal there is not going to be any increase in the number of working days or working hours of any of the judges and it only meant that different judges would be going on vacation during different periods of the year as per their choice; but, the Bar Council of India rejected this proposal mainly because it would have inconvenienced the advocates who would have to work throughout the year.[103] More over, various time frames specified in 'code of civil procedure' are also diluted by supreme court judgements to give the courts right to endlessly adjourn the cases.[104][105]

text: Rule of law[edit]

text: Supreme court has not taken up the trail of many pending cases, since April 2014 (more than three years), challenging the validity of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 which was enacted by the parliament without following the stipulated procedure in the constitution and is claimed detrimental to the basic foundation of the constitution on which the basic structure of the constitution is resting.[106] The basic foundation of the constitution is the dignity and the freedom of its citizens which is of supreme importance and can not be destroyed by any legislation of the parliament.[107] Whereas the fair trial to examine the validity of the ninety-ninth constitutional amendment dated 31 December 2014, to form National Judicial Appointments Commission for the purpose of appointing the judges of the supreme court and high courts, was conducted on utmost priority and supreme court delivered its judgement on 16 October 2015 (within a year) quashing the constitutional amendment as unconstitutional and ultra virus stating the said amendment is interfering with the independence of the judiciary.[108] Disposal of the various petitions filed against Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 is also equally important as it has alienated the basic rights of a vast section of Indian citizens and also against federal character of the constitution which is part of the basic structure of the constitution. Supreme court is also wasting its valuable time by not taking up the case in toto but conducted a piecemeal trail by delivering its judgement to dispose the petitions related with apportionment of assets between the newly formed states Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.[109] Supreme court is also conducting piecemeal trail of the petitions filed by the states regarding water sharing of rivers and bifurcation of the common high court without considering the earlier pending petitions challenging the validity of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 which is the basic cause of all these disputes.[110][111] Under checks and balances as provided in the constitution, it is the duty of the judiciary/supreme court to establish the rule of law at the earliest by rectifying any misuse of the constitution by the parliament and the executive without colluding with them and to remove perceptions of people that rule of law is side lined and a section of its citizens are subjected to discrimination.[112][113]

text: Four judges vs chief justice[edit]

text: On 12 January 2018, four senior judges of the supreme court; Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph addressed a press conference criticizing Chief Justice Dipak Misra's style of administration and the manner in which he allocated cases among judges of the supreme court. However, people close to Misra refuted the allegations that allocation of cases was unfair.[114] On 20 April 2018, seven opposition parties submitted a petition seeking impeachment of Dipak Misra to the Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, with signatures from seventy-one parliamentarians.[115] On 23 April 2018, the petition was rejected by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, primarily on the basis that the complaints were about administration and not misbehaviour, and that thus impeachment would seriously interfere with the constitutionally protected independence of the judiciary.[116][117][118]