‘Tackle judges' appointment issue at the earliest’

Last Updated: Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 16:43

Tags: Parliamentary Standing Committee, Judges Appointment

New Delhi: Amid demands for greater transparency in appointment of members of higher judiciary, a parliamentary panel on Tuesday suggested a new law for the same saying judicial accountability will meet with "limited success" till the issue of judges' appointment is addressed comprehensively at the earliest.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel today submitted its report on the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010 in both Houses of Parliament.

Though the bill it scrutinised does not refer to appointment of judges, "the Committee unequivocally feels that the present Bill deals only partially with the problem and the main systematic lacunae remain unaddressed".

Committee Chairman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said while he was neither speaking in favour or against National Judicial Commission - one of the alternatives being suggested to replace Collegium system - the issue of judges' appointment needs to be addressed comprehensively, though separately, "at the earliest".

"The Committee is of the view that the government has to move beyond an incremental approach and give urgent and due thought to a holistic legislation encompassing the appointment process... to ensure judicial accountability for improved administration of justice," the report said.

The government had informed the Lok Sabha yesterday that it has not yet finalised any proposal to replace the Collegium system in which judges appoint judges.

The Bill, table in Lok Sabha last year, seeks to make judges accountable and create a set of standards for members of the higher judiciary.

PTI

First Published: Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 16:43

Comments

rupendra - yamunanagar
the government has to start from somewhere so let it be from judiciary itself. here one thing should be given due consideration is the recruitment of lower judicial officers. there is an open talk that in recruiting state judicial officers, there is huge corruption. people might not have forgotten the cases of some chairmen of state civil/ judicial services wherein thet were caught with millions of rupees. the talk is that the rate for judicial officer is some forty lakh rupees and the money goes directly to the highest political authorities. assuming that it is somewhat exaggareted, still there has to have truth in it which can not be ignored and hence state public service commissions have to be checked first.