Judicial officers from UP approach SC against non-recommendation of their names by collegium for appointment as HC judges
Sep 16, 2020
New Delhi [India], September 16 : Seven judicial officers from Uttar Pradesh have approached the Supreme Court against non-recommendation of their names by the top court collegium for appointment as Judges of the Allahabad High Court.
A Bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde on Wednesday issued notice to the Secretary-General of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Law and Justice and sought their response in four weeks.
The seven judges have challenged non-recommendation of their name by the Collegium on August 14, 2020 for appointment as High Court judges.
They sought direction upon the Collegium to reconsider their cases for elevation.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice said that he has never seen judges coming to the court asking to appoint them as High Court judge.
"This is something very new, we have never seen judges coming to court and saying appoint me as High Court judge. We find it very improper. We have never heard such thing," the Chief Justice said but agreed to hear the plea and asked Secretary General of top court and Law ministry to respond in four weeks.
Filing the plea, the judicial officers have said that whereas the High Court Collegium had recommended their names for elevation, the Supreme Court Collegium has proposed to elevate only District and Sessions Judge Subhash Chand.
They urged the apex court to reconsider their matter for their elevation to the High Court and said that they are of same batch of District and Sessions Judge Subhash Chand and were substantially appointed with him with effect from January 1, 2007.
Significantly, two of the aggrieved judicial officers had retired last year.
They said, "There is no nexus to the object sought to be achieved by introducing the age restriction in regard to recommendation for appointment as High Court Judge from the judicial service cadre and it is also not mandatory, as several times so many judicial officers have been appointed as Jugde of various High Courts even after their retirement."
