New Delhi: The bench put the responsibility on Mr Dattar and additional solicitor-general Pinky Anand to compile the suggestions, which will also include those received by the Supreme Court after its NJAC ruling.
When the counsel pleaded for at least 10 days to formulate all the suggestions from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Justice Khehar said: “Everything (appointments) is stalled now. We can’t delay it further. I have not participated in any collegium meetings (after the October 16 verdict quashing the NJAC law).
Many people are waiting and we don’t want to waste time. Let us begin on Thursday. Collect all suggestions and formulate them based on the four issues we have framed.”
Attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi said: “We do not accept the correctness of the judgment. Whatever we say is without prejudice to our stand. Already there is a memorandum of procedure evolved by the government. There must be definite criteria for selection of candidates for high courts and the Supreme Court.
In the name of seniority, merit should not suffer. Only those who reach this benchmark can be considered for selection. The collegium must record reasons for the selection or rejection of candidates for judgeship.” Senior lawyer Fali S. Nariman told the bench that the collegium’s job of appointing judges should no longer be a “part-time job, but a full-time one ... and there must be a secretariat”.
