Judicial vacancies will persist until a new system is put in place: Rijiju

The minister informed the House that, as of December 5, there are only 27 judges serving on the Supreme Court, as opposed to the sanctioned strength of 34 justices. Although 1,108 judges are authorised to serve on the high courts, only 777 do so, leaving 331 vacancies (30 per cent). Rijiju further stated that the total number of cases waiting in various courts is set to reach five crore, a figure whose impact on the public is clear, in response to supplements during the Question Hour. He emphasised the steps the Center has done to shorten the time that cases are pending. We are supporting the reduction of case pending times wholeheartedly. But unless we develop a new procedure for appointments, concerns about judge vacancies and appointments will persist, he continued.
The Centre is only allowed to consider names that have been recommended by the collegium, he said, adding that the government now has limited authority to replace vacancies When asked if the government would reinstate the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, Rijiju stated that numerous retired judges, illustrious jurists, advocates, lawyers, and leaders of political parties had expressed their disagreement with the Act’s demise by a five-member Supreme Court Constitution bench.
 Source : The Economic TimesThe Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act of 2014 and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act of 2014, both of which took effect on April 13, 2015, were enacted by the government with the goal of improving the collegium system for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and high courts.The Acts were contested before the top court, nevertheless, and in a decision issued on October 16, 2015, it was decided that both Acts were invalid and contrary to the Constitutions . In the middle of a dispute between the judiciary and the Centre over judicial nominations, Rijiju responded in the Upper House. The Supreme Court collegium recommended five names to the Union government on Tuesday for elevation as judges of the supreme court. The news came as the apex court criticised the Centre for not responding quickly on the collegium’s recommendations.While this is going on, a Parliamentary subcommittee stated earlier this week that it is regrettable that the Center and the judiciary are not following the deadline for nominating judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts. The Centre, on the other hand, informed the Supreme Court that it is not suitable to hold the President of India to a deadline when it comes to judicial nominations. Concerns over the appointment of retired judges have also been raised by the Center.  Share your views in the comments below .