SC special bench reserves order on plea seeking appointment of ad hoc judges in High Courts
Apr 15, 2021
New Delhi [India], April 15 : A Special bench of the Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, reserved its order in connection with the petition seeking a direction to appoint ad hoc judges in various High Courts.
The three-judge bench of the Apex Court, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Surya Kant, reserved the order after hearing the petition in the issue of appointment of ad hoc judges in various High Courts.
The Apex Court, however, will keep the petition for monitoring and later pronounce the order in the matter.
The Special bench was hearing the petition regarding the recommendations of judges' appointment pending with the Centre.
Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal, top law officer representing the Union of India (UOI), during the long hearing, today submitted to the Top Court that a decision will be most likely be taken within three months, with regard to the pending 10 names for judges.
The Apex Court clarified, "We are not reviewing any (Judges) appointments or judicial appointments, we just want to know from the Centre, as to what could be the timeline in which the government (central) and judiciary will proceed in connection with judges appointment."
Sneha Kalita, the lawyer appearing for Supreme Court Women Lawyer's Association (SCWLA), mentioned before the CJI bench that there is a very "lesser number of women judges in the higher judiciary." She said that the SC should appoint women supreme court lawyers as judges in high courts.
"There are only 11 per cent women judges in the higher judiciary," Kalita told the Apex Court, adding that the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) did not have a whisper on women judges being appointed to the higher judiciary.
The CJI, however, clarified that the experience of Chief Justice of High Courts stated that when women judges are asked to come in the bench they apparently refused and cited that quoting those women aspirants as judges, said, their child is studying in class 10 or, 11 and they have also a lot of other works like domestic responsibility and thereby they did not want to be a part of the higher judiciary.
The CJI also said that we have the interest of women in mind, only that we need capable candidates.
