Judges’ Appointments: SC Sends List Of Judges Back To The Government – After It Was Rejected
The confrontation between the central government and the Supreme Court touched new highs today. The apex court refused to accept the government’s rejection of the names of 43 judges it had sent for approval. Now, it has sent back all the names for the government’s reconsideration.
A bench hearing the case said:
We have reiterated 43 names for the appointment as judges of high courts which were rejected by the government and have been sent back for reconsideration.
Chief Justice T S Thakur and A R Dave are part of the bench that is hearing the matter relating to the appointment of the judges to the High Court. All of the 43 names on the list were chosen by the Collegium.
The Supreme Court has reprimanded the government multiple times in the past for sitting on the files and not clearing the names recommended to it by the Collegium. "There should not be a deadlock in appointment of judges. You cannot bring the institution to a grinding halt," the court had said to the government last month.
However, last week, the government cleared 34 of the 77 names recommended by the Collegium for appointments of judges to the High Court. It then returned the names of 43 judges to the Collegium.
Now, the ball is back in the government’s court.