SC to hear plea for "public body" to appoint judges on Sep 12

New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court today agreed tohear on September 12 a plea seeking setting up of a "publicbody", independent of the executive and judiciary, to ensurefair appointment of judges in High Courts and the apex courtand check nepotism. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D YChandrachud took up the matter after it was mentioned byadvocate Mathews J Nedumpara seeking urgent listing. The PIL, filed by National Lawyers’ Campaign for JudicialTransparency and Reforms and its office bearers, alleged thatthat the "common deserving lawyers" are usually not consideredfor appointment of judges in the higher judiciary and thatthose close to the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courtsor politicians or big industrial houses only got chosen. "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 said the mechanism of appointment of judges,independent of the executive and the judiciary, was "killed"even before it was allowed to take birth by the judgment inthe 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 claimed. It alleged the fundamental right of being considered forsuch appointment of ordinary lawyers has been infringed in thewake of quashing of National Judicial Appointment Commission(NJAC) Act and enabling 99th constitutional amendment by theSupreme 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 Parliament, remained in "cold storage" as thejudges were not "forthcoming to welcome" it. PTI PKS MNL SJKRKSARC