52 new judges appointed since Jan, 89 addl judges elevated

Responding to the Congress' accusation of blocking the appointment of judges, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said 52 new judges have been appointed since January and 89 additional judges elevated as permanent judges.

He declined to comment on the memorandum of procedure — a document which guides the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts — saying "it is a work in progress”.

Judges’ appointment
Prasad said there were disagreements on certain key issues in the MoP drafted after quashing of the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, and the government and the judiciary are working to iron out the differences.

"Past is past. But it (NJAC Act) reflected extraordinary consensus of Parliament, where it was passed unanimously. Twenty state assemblies ratified it unanimously," he said.

Cong’s take
In the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Congress leader Anand Sharma charged that the government was blocking the appointment of judges as it was "very angry" after the Supreme Court's decision in the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act (NJAC) case. With regard to the Lodha committee's suggestion for legalising betting, he said, it is a sensitive issue and is yet to be examined by the ministry concerned.