Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar said on Monday that filling up of judicial vacancies in the High Courts is progressing on a war footing.
Heading a three-judge Bench, the Chief Justice said a recent order has been passed to increase the number of posts of judges in the the High Courts by 25 per cent.
Chief Justice Khehar, for the first time, confirmed in open court that the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges has been cleared by the Supreme Court Collegium. The memorandum had been hanging fire for over the past year following the NJAC judgment in October 2015, which had quashed any interference or part by the Executive in judges’ appointments.
“Progress has been made. The MoP is cleared. A recent order was passed to increase the number of judges in the High Courts of States,” Chief Justice Khehar remarked.
The Chief Justice said in the order that it is not disputed that there are “a large number of vacancies at various HCS, but rigorous process for filling the same is in place”.
Disposing a petition seeking increase in the number of judges to tide over the alarming pendency in subordinate courts and HCs, Chief Justice Khehar put his foot down, saying there will not be any fresh increase in the number of judges in the HCs until the present vacancies are filled up and the process recommended in the MoP is implemented.
Dealing with another petition suggesting various measures to cut pendency, the Bench transferred the petition to an internal judicial committee for its perusal.
“A committee was constituted recently and we have from time to time depending on the different high courts adopted various measures to expedite disposal of cases and their streamlining... We have invited all the Chief Justices of the HCs to sit together and devise the ways and means. Some measures have already been taken. We will sited your petition to the committee for its consideration,” Chief Justice Khehar said.
