Parliament Watch: Central government says no need to amend process to appoint Governor; no stipend for young advocates

The Budget Session of Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday saw questions asked about the need to amend Article 155 of the Constitution regarding appointment of Governors, pendency of cases involving the Central government, stipend for young advocates and more..The Central government stated that consulting with Chief Ministers before appointing a Governor of a state is a matter of convention, and that there is no need to amend Article 155 of the Indian Constitution.Article 155 states that the Governor of a state shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal..The view was expressed in an answer to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Dr John Brittas on Wednesday.He asked whether the government will consider the proposal of the Justice RS Sarkaria Commission that Governors should be appointed after consultation with the Chief Minister of the respective states, and whether it would amend Article 155 to this effect.."The Government is of the view that the practice of consultation with State Chief Minister may be followed as a matter of convention, and there does not appear any need to amend Article 155 of the constitution," the Ministry's reply stated..To a question by Bihar Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju revealed as per information available in the Legal Information Management & Briefing System (LIMBS) portal, 5,94,584 cases are pending in which Central government is a party. Among these, the share of contempt cases associated with inaction on court orders is 0.4%..Further, Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha MP Dr Ashok Bajpai sought information regarding pendency, where Central government is a party, before the Supreme Court.As on March 15, 2023, the details are as follows:.Odisha Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar sought to know whether it was a fact that the Indian Legal Service (ILS) was operating at 50 per cent of its strength, and if so, the reasons behind the shortage and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the government to address the issue..Rijiju revealed that around 72 out of 157 posts in the Indian Legal Service cadre are vacant, which works out to 46% of the total cadre strength.He stated that the vacancies occur due to superannuation, promotion, resignation, death etc, and that filling up of vacancies through various modes like direct recruitment and promotion are regularly taken up with Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). "Necessary steps to expedite filling-up of these vacancies are carried out on an ongoing basis," he added..Odisha MP Manas Ranjan Mangaraj asked in the Rajya Sabha whether the government has any plan to to introduce a system of stipend for young advocates..Rijiju stated that the government has no plan to introduce any system of stipend for young advocates."Once a law graduate enrolls as an advocate, he/she learns the skills of advocacy in the process of gaining requisite experience. Further, it is the discretion of a litigant to engage any advocate in its case as per choice and financial capacity," he said.