Plea in SC for a "public body" to appoint judges

New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) A plea seeking setting up of a"public body", independent of the executive and judiciary, toensure fair appointment of judges in High Courts and theSupreme Court and check nepotism, has been filed in the apexcourt. The PIL, filed by National Lawyers’ Campaign for JudicialTransparency and Reforms and its office bearers, is likely tocome up for hearing next week. Claiming that the "common deserving lawyers" are usuallynot considered for appointment of Judges in the higherjudiciary, the plea alleged that those close to the judges ofthe Supreme Court and High Courts or politicians or bigindustrial houses only got chosen as judges. "In the eyes of the Petitioners, what is paramount is asystem of appointment of Judges independent of both theexecutive and the judiciary," it said. Alleging nepotism in the selection of judges, the pleasaid the existing system has appointed the "kith and kin ofsitting and former Judges of the Supreme Court and HighCourts, their juniors, celebrated lawyers, Chief Ministers,Governors and a few first generation lawyers who are allpolitically connected or are close to big industrial houses." The plea, filed by lawyers including A C Philip andMathews J Nedumpara, said the mechanism of appointment ofjudges, independent of the executive and the judiciary, was"killed" even before it was allowed to take birth by thejudgment in the NJAC case. "No mechanism in substitution thereof, which will providefor a just, fair, open and non-discriminatory selection andappointment of Judges from a diverse and wider pool ofcandidates than the traditional ones, namely, the kith and kinof Judges, their near and dear ones, has been brought intoexistence…", the PIL said. It alleged the fundamental right of being considered forsuch appointment of ordinary lawyers has been infringed in thewake of quashing of the National Judicial AppointmentCommission (NJAC) Act and enabling 99th constitutionalamendment by the Supreme Court. The plea also said that there was no effective mechanismto address complaints of misconduct against judges. The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2012introduced in the Parliament, remained in "cold storage" asthe judges were not "forthcoming to welcome" it. PTI MNL SJKRKSARC