Why Delay in Appointment of Judges?

The delay in appointment of judges is really disappointing for a country like India wherein more than 40 million cases are still pending in the High Courts across the country. It seems there has been an open war between the Government and the Supreme Court (SC) in regard to the appointment of judges. As the SC has already recommended the names of the new judges, it is the Government which is delaying in clearing the names.

Meanwhile the Attorney General (AG) saying that it is the High Courts which have caused the delay as it is their responsibility to commence the appointment process at least six months before a particular vacancy arises. The AG also brought to light that there are instances where some High Courts have initiated the process only after five to six years of the retirement of judges. By there is enough of confusion about the fresh appointment of judges and a simple blame game is on between the SC and the Government.

But how long this will continue? Will there be can end? And finally how long the court will make people wait for getting justice? It is high time that the Government must come with a clear cut plan for appointing the judges instead of just pushing the issue further. The current tussle between the executive and the judiciary must come to an end.

At the end of the day, the victims are no other than the common citizens of this country. As justice is delivered in this country in a snail’s pace and at the top of this, lack of adequate number of judges should not add to the mounting crisis. It is not the time to fight who is more powerful-whether it is the executive or the judiciary-but it is matter of being sensitive to the fate of the millions of litigants around the country.