Centre returns 43 names to collegium; SC approves 34 of 77 as HC judges
New Delhi: The Centre on Friday informed the Supreme Court that it had returned to the collegium, for its reconsideration, 43 of the 77 names recommended for appointment of judges at various High Courts and the remaining 34 had been appointed as judges.
Giving this information before a Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh, the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said “not a single file is pending” with the government regarding appointment of judges to High Courts. “It is for the collegium to decide,” he said.
The AG also told a bench that finalisation of the memorandum of procedure (MoP) on appointment of judges was also pending with the Supreme Court collegium since August 3 as it had not sent back its views. Since February this year, the Supreme Court collegium had cleared 311 names for appointments, but the Centre had approved only around 80 names.
On October 28, the apex court had slammed NDA government for failing to appoint various High Court judges despite the collegium clearing some of the names more than nine months ago. An angry CJI told Attorney General “You can as well close down the courts. Close down justice.”
The Bench is hearing a batch of petitions for a direction to the Centre to fill up vacancies at various High Courts pending for a long time resulting in mounting arrears of cases. When one lawyer Nedumpara Mathews asked the CJI not to hear this case as he was heading the collegium, the CJI said the Court will pass an order in this regard. The matter was posted for further hearing by the CJI on November 18.
