The Cabinet on Thursday gave a nod to provide constitutional status to shield a proposed commission for appointment and transfer of judges of higher courts from ordinary legislative and Supreme Court intervention.
The Cabinet decisions assumes importance give the fact that the Supreme Court has come up with judgements interpreting existing constitutional provision to state that independence of judges can be established by having primacy of judiciary and not the executive. The verdict stamped existing system of appointing judges to Supreme Court and high courts where the names are referred by the judiciary to the executive for nod.
Besides, the BJP and a parliamentary standing committee after going through the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill, 2013, had come up with similar suggestion. Now any amendments to the JAC bill after it is passed by both the Houses, will be entertained by Parliament only when two-third MPs press for it.
Published 26 December 2013, 20:44 IST