SC asks Centre to explain delay in appointment of judges recommended by collegium
The Supreme Court directed the attorney general to submit a list of names the collegium had reiterated for appointment and explain why it is pending.
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The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to submit a list of names reiterated by the collegium for judicial appointments and sought an explanation for the delay in processing it, Bar and Bench reported.
Under the collegium system, the five most senior judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, decide on the appointments and transfers of judges to the top court and the High Courts. These recommendations must be approved by the Union government.
The bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and consisting Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was hearing two petitions including one by the Jharkhand government seeking contempt of court action against the Union government for delaying its approval on the collegium’s recommendation of appointing Justice MS Ramachandra Rao as the chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
The collegium had recommended the appointment of Rao on July 11, but it is still pending.
The other petition, filed by lawyer Harsh Vibhore Singal, seeks the establishment of fixed timelines for the Centre to process and approve resolutions of the collegium.
On Friday, lawyer Prashant Bhushan said that several names including that of lawyer Saurabh Kirpal were awaiting clearance from the Centre. “There are so many instances when the Centre sits on collegium recommendations for years,” Bhushan...
