Awestruck by fast-paced SC appointments: CJI Ranjan Gogoi

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said he was “awestruck” by the rocket speed with which the government accepted the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation and issued warrants of appointments leading to four SC judges taking oath, all within 48 hours.

Asked about the speedy appointment of Justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi, whose names were recommended to the law ministry at 11 am on Wednesday, the CJI confessed that he was “shocked” when he learnt that the judges had undergone medical screening by Wednesday evening. “The law minister is the right person to tell how the recommendations were accepted so fast,” CJI Gogoi told reporters.

There was perceptible tension between the NDA government and the judiciary after the Supreme Court struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission, leading to delay in acceptance of recommendations for appointment of judges to constitutional courts. Many recommended names were returned, transfers stalled and some others kept pending.

On Friday, a petition filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan for NGO ‘Centre for Public Interest’ through secretary Kamini Jaiswal was argued by advocate Dushyant Dave before a bench of CJI Gogoi and Justices K M Joseph and Hemant Gupta claiming that the Union government, in complete disregard of the judges’ appointment process through the collegium mechanism as laid down by SC, was deliberately delaying acceptance of recommendations and reiterations of names.

The bench kept the petition pending without issuing notice to the Centre. CJI Gogoi said though the number of instances about delay in acceptance of recommendations/reiterations cited by the petitioner was 13, the actual number was 40-odd. “The figure is three times more. We will take it up with the government,” the CJI said.

During an interaction with reporters, the CJI was asked why the government had not honoured the recommendations of the Supreme Court collegium. He said, “I would not say the government has not honoured the recommendations and reiterations. It is just that the government has kept them pending for various reasons. I will take it up with the government.”