SC:Ensure compliance of schedule in appointing judicial officers

New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) The Supreme Court today directed the Chief Justices of all the High Courts in the country to appoint a committee of two or three judges to ensure that the selection and appointment of judicial officers should be according to the schedule set up by the apex court.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Mr Justice C K Thakker further directed the Chief Justices of each High Court to set up a special cell headed by an officer of the rank of the Registrar for assisting the committee and the Chief Justice for complying with the schedule, set up by an apex court order dated November 27, 2006 to ensure speedy dispensation of cases.

The court, while emphasising the need for timely filling up of the vacancies for the judicial officers, rejected as ''wholly misplaced'' the apprehension of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal that the transfer of powers of appointments of judges from state government to the state high court would amount to interfering with the independent functioning of the state government.

The apex court also directed that the registrar of the special cell will have to sent a report regarding the filling up of the vacancies by January 31 every year to the Supreme Court Registrar General. The copies of the same should also be sent to the Union Ministers of Law and Justice and law ministries of the concerned states.

The court also permitted Patna High Court to change its time schedule from June to December to December to June in view of the regular floods in the state.

Delhi has been permitted to make appointments twice a year. The order will not apply to the state of Sikkim, which has a very small cadre of judicial officers with only 500 cases, including 50 High Court cases, pending in the state.

The court also permitted any state or Union Territory to approach the apex court in case of any difficulty in filling up the vacancies to ensure that the time schedule is adhered to.

UNI