Petition in SC seeks contempt action against govt over delay in judges’ appointment

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 25

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Justice Secretary for the Centre’s failure to appoint 11 advocates/judicial officers as judges of various high courts despite the Collegium reiterating their names.

Petitioner Advocates Association Bengaluru pointed out that the Centre sitting over names reiterated by the Collegium went against the top court’s 2019 order in M/s PLR Projects Pvt Ltd versus Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. And Others in which it said that once the Collegium led by CJI has reiterated a name for appointment as a judge the appointment should be made within three-four weeks.

Giving a list of 11 such cases reiterated by the Collegium, the petitioner submitted their non-appointment as High Court Judges has “an adverse impact on the Rule of Law, which has been held to be a part of the basic structure of the Constitution.”

The list included the names of five candidates for the Calcutta High Court, two each for the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the Karnataka High Court and the Allahabad High Court.

Meanwhile, the Centre on Monday notified the appointment of one judge each to the Allahabad High Court and Rajasthan High Court.

Vikram Chauhan has been appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court, while Uma Shanker Vyas has been appointed as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Joymalya Bagchi has been transferred from the Andhra Pradesh High Court to his parent High Court, i.e., the Calcutta High Court.