Madras High Court Advocates Association urges CJI to return the list of 15 names proposed for judgeship; demands a transparent system for appointment of judges

The Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHCAA) has passed a resolution urging the Chief Justice of India and 4 senior Judges of the Supreme Court to return the list of 15 persons proposed by the Collegium of Madras High Court for elevation as High Court judges..According to The Hindu, the MHCAA in its representation has stated that the proposed candidates “fall far short of the standards set out in the various judgments of the Supreme Court……. the names have been proposed on extraneous criteria such as caste, religion, office affiliations and political considerations.” The resolution states that such appointments were affecting the “quality of justice” and also resulting in “long delay in delivering judgments”. .It has, therefore, urged the CJI and 4 senior most Judges to return the list and to evolve a transparent system for appointment of judges so that merit is the sole criteria for appointment as judges. The resolution also sets out the criteria for considering the candidature of a person for judgeship..This is not the first instance in which a Bar Association had made a similar request. The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association had passed a resolution appealing to the Chief Justice of India to reject the names of seven persons recommended by a Collegium headed by Justice AK Sikri for appointment as High Court Judges..It is interesting to note that such requests are being made at a time when a National Judicial Appointment Commission is being mooted to replace the Collegium system. The said Commission will be a six-member body in charge of judicial appointments. The Bar Council of India was also in news recently for passing a resolution to move the Central Government demanding that the lawyers’ body also be given a representation in the proposed National Judicial Appointment Commission..Image taken from here.