New Delhi, 28 November: The Supreme Court asked the Attorney General and the Solicitor General to ask the government to decide on the names recommended by the collegium. A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul ordered the matter to be heard next on December 8.
During the hearing, the court said that it seems that the government is not happy with the decision of the Supreme Court to dismiss the National Judicial Accountability Commission (NJAC). Therefore, the government is not taking a decision on the recommendations of the collegium for appointment of judges. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said that normally the court does not take cognizance of the statements made in the media (with reference to the Law Minister’s statement), but the question is the government not taking a decision on the recommendations of the collegium.
The petition has been filed on behalf of the Center for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). The petition said that the Central Government sits indefinitely on the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium for the appointment of judges.
The petition has demanded that the names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment of judges to various High Courts have not been appointed by the Central Government for a long time. Even after six weeks have passed, the Central Government has not responded to those recommendations. The petition said that important constitutional posts of the country cannot be kept vacant. The government wants political interference in the appointment of judges.
