Govt processing 142 HC collegium recommendations for appointment of judges: Law minister

According to Kiren Rijiju's response, there are no pending cases for more than 50 years, in Supreme Court

The Union Government is processing 142 proposals made by high court collegiums for the appointment of judges, the Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said in Parliament on February 3.

Of the 142 proposals, four are pending with the Supreme Court collegium and 138 are under different stages of processing, Rijiju said in a written response.

In the high courts, 775 judges are working currently, against the sanctioned strength of 1,108 judges, leaving 333 posts vacant. Recommendations for 191 vacancies in the high courts are yet to be received by the government.

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The Allahabad High Court and Punjab and Haryana High Court make up the maximum of these 142 proposals, with nine recommendations; six recommendations from the Delhi High Court are also being considered.

The appointment of judges of the constitutional courts is a continuous, integrated, and collaborative process between the executive and the judiciary, the law minister said.

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It requires consultation and approval from various constitutional authorities, both at the state and central levels. “While every effort is made to fill up the existing vacancies expeditiously, vacancies of judges keep on arising on account of retirement, resignation or elevation of Judges and also due to increase in the strength of judges,” Rijiju added.