Centre’s pick & choose policy hits HC judge appointments | India News

NEW DELHI: Advocate Ramaswamy Neelakandan ready for all times as a excessive court docket judge by returning case information to shoppers after the CJI-led Supreme Court collegium on Jan 17, 2023, advisable to Union govt to nominate him, together with 4 different advocates, together with L C Victoria Gowri, as judges of Madras excessive court docket.The Union govt appointed all of them as judges, besides Neelakandan. Though names of the 5 advocates have been despatched by the SC collegium on the identical day, the government appointed them in batches – three on Feb 7, 2023, and the fourth on Feb 27, 2023.Neelakandan, who belongs to the OBC group, shares his destiny with 28 different advocates, whose names have been advisable to the government by the collegium between Jan 2023 and April this yr. The Centre’s pick and choose policy has left them in suspense – whether or not to renew follow or preserve ready for the Centre’s nod to turn into an HC judge.While Neelakandan’s wait has stretched past 29 months, advocate Subhash Upadhyay, whose title was advisable by collegium on April 12, 2023, for judgeship in Uttarakhand HC, is ready for his warrant of appointment for the final 26 months.Along with Upadhyay, the collegium had advisable names of three advocates and a judicial officer for appointment as judges of the HC. Only Upadhyay’s title was neglected. Like him, advocate Arun Kumar is awaiting motion on collegium’s May 9, 2023, suggestion for his appointment as Allahabad HC judge.On Oct 17, 2023, the collegium advisable the names of 5 advocates for appointment as judges of Madhya Pradesh HC. Among them, solely advocate Amit Seth continues to be awaiting appointment.Of the 29 advocates nonetheless awaiting appointment as HC judges, 5 are ladies advocates. Among them, the one enduring the longest wait is advocate Shamima Jahan, whose title was advisable by the collegium on Jan 4, 2024, for appointment as a judge of Gauhati HC.Other ladies advocates sharing Jahan’s destiny are Sreeja Vijayalakshmi (title advisable on April 16, 2024), Tajal Vashi (Oct 15, 2024; Gujarat HC), Shwetasree Majumder (Aug 21, 2024; Delhi HC), and Sheetal Mirdha (March 5, 2025; Rajasthan HC).Despite successive chief justices, together with the incumbent CJI B R Gavai, impressing upon the Union govt to not pick and choose from the checklist and keep away from making staggered appointments from the identical batch, the government has not deserted the follow which creates seniority points in constitutional courts the place benefit and seniority are two essential elements for profession development.Interestingly, the collegium’s suggestions for appointment of judges to Supreme Court have been speedily processed and applied by the government, in some circumstances the appointments have come by means of inside three days of the advice.The collegium advisable to the government on May 26 to nominate Justices N V Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi and A S Chandurkar as judges of the SC. The three took oath as Supreme Court judges on May 30.On May 26, the collegium advisable appointments of chief justices to 5 HCs, transfers of 4 HC CJs and switch and repatriation of twenty-two HC judges. More than a month later, govt is but to offer impact to the appointments and transfers of HC CJs and judges.