JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Friday directed for preparing a concept paper highlighting the contours of a central selection mechanism for appointment of judges in subordinate judiciary.
A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice if India (CJI) J S Khehar told senior advocate Arvind Datar, amicus curiae, to prepare the document in order to address the objections made by some high courts against putting in place a central system for selecting judges.
The court was told about 4,000 vacancies in subordinate judiciary. The bench sidestepped a suggestion that a Memorandum of Procedure — meant for the appointment of judges in the high courts and the Supreme Court — must be expedited. “We can respond with a broad smile,” the CJI said.
The court was considering suo motu petition initiated by a letter sent by the Justice Department Secretary Snehlata Shrivastava. The court had in May decided to examine if a single test at the all-India level by one agency could be organised to fill up vacancies in the subordinate judiciary.
“It is the first-ever proposal. You have to do it when the iron is hot. Nothing is being taken away from the states, we will get more meritorious candidates,” the bench said.