Judge Denied Is Justice Denied: SC Speaks Up, Says Vacancies At Lower Courts Are ‘Wholly Unacceptable’

The Supreme Court on Monday (22 October) said that vacancies in lower courts are “wholly unacceptable” after taking note of 5,133 posts lying vacant in the lower judiciary across the country, reports ANI.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul took suo motu cognisance of the filling up of the vacancies in lower courts and have directed the state governments and lower courts to provide information. The court also observed that there are a total of 22,036 posts in the lower courts out of which 5,133 positions were lying vacant.

"The existence of vacancies to the extent indicated is wholly unacceptable. The Registry of this Court is, therefore, directed to register a suo motu writ petition," the bench said.

The Apex court stated, "If the time taken has exceeded the schedule fixed by this court, the reasons, therefore, be furnished by the Registries of such High Courts or concerned authorities of the state where the recruitment is done through the Public Service Commission(s) which are in default."

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also sought information regarding the time taken to complete the recruitment process and whether the infrastructure and workforce in the different states were adequate. The court has requested for the information to be furnished information by 31 October and will post the matter for hearing on 1 November.