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Hans India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Supreme Court Collegium recommends appointment of 3 judges to the top court
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, on Monday forwarded its recommendations to the Centre in relation to the appointment of three judges to the top court. Reportedly, the names of Justice N.V. Anjaria, the incumbent Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court; Justice Vijay Bishnoi, presently functioning as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court; and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar of the Bombay High Court have been cleared by the apex court Collegium. At present, the Supreme Court is functioning at a strength of 31 judges, 3 short of its sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Further, another vacancy would soon arise on the retirement of Justice Bela M. Trivedi on June 9. Justice Anjaria was elevated as Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court in November 2011, and in September 2023, he was confirmed as a permanent Judge. He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court on February 25 last year. Justice Bishnoi, the present Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, was appointed as Additional Judge of the Rajasthan High Court in January 2013 and took oath as a permanent Judge of the Rajasthan High Court in January 2015. Born on April 7, 1965, Justice Chandurkar was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in June 2013. As per the existing Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the CJI, along with the four senior-most SC judges, commonly known as the Collegium, forwards its recommendation to the Centre to fill up the vacancies in the top court. After receipt of the proposal, the Union Minister of Law and Justice will put up the recommendation to the Prime Minister, who will advise the President in the matter of appointment. As soon as the warrant of appointment is signed by the President, the Department of Justice will announce the appointment and issue the necessary notification in the official gazette.
India Gazette
14-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Delhi HC disposes PIL on judge shortage, cites ongoing judicial measure
New Delhi [India], May 14 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the shortage of judges, stating that the issue impacts all stakeholders in the judicial system. The court recognised that the judiciary is already aware of the problem and that administrative measures may be taken to resolve it. During the proceedings, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) informed the court that the Supreme Court is actively monitoring the matter. The court further observed that the issue is already under the Supreme Court's judicial consideration and permitted the petitioner to approach the apex court to seek inclusion as a party in the proceedings. The bench, comprising Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, granted the petitioner permission to withdraw the writ petition and take his case to the Supreme Court. Consequently, the High Court determined that no additional adjudication was necessary and disposed of the petition. During the hearing, the bench posed a pointed question: 'Do you think the Union of India and the Delhi High Court are not aware of the situation? Are they not cognizant of the problem?' The plea was filed by practising lawyer Amit Sahni, who highlighted that although the sanctioned strength of the Delhi High Court is 60 judges, comprising 45 permanent and 15 additional positions, it is currently operating with only 36 judges, resulting in a significant 40 per cent vacancy. This shortfall is attributed to retirements, inter-court transfers, and delays in judicial appointments, despite constitutional mandates and the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), which requires that appointments be initiated well before vacancies arise. The plea stated that several judges, including Justice Rekha Palli and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, have recently retired, while Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice CD Singh, and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma have been transferred to other High Courts. Additionally, two more retirements are expected in the coming months, further reducing the number of sitting judges to 34. This decline is likely to worsen case backlogs and judicial delays. The ongoing judicial shortage has resulted in an overwhelming accumulation of pending cases, excessive workloads for existing judges, and delays in resolving crucial legal matters, including writ petitions, bail applications, appeals, and commercial disputes. This situation significantly affects citizens' rights and undermines public confidence in the judiciary. The plea emphasised that judicial vacancies disproportionately impact economically weaker and marginalised communities, who often face prolonged litigation and limited access to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. The plea claimed that judicial vacancies pose a serious threat to fundamental rights, institutional integrity, and public trust in the judicial system. Given the Delhi High Court's national and constitutional significance, addressing these vacancies must be treated as an urgent priority. (ANI)
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Business Standard
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
PIL highlights shortage of judges in Delhi HC, urges filling vacancies
A PIL has been filed in the Delhi High Court, highlighting a shortage of judges and urging for expeditiously filling up the vacancies by elevating eligible district judges and advocates from the bar. The public interest litigation (PIL) matter is likely to come up for hearing next week before a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela. The Delhi High Court has a sanctioned strength of 60 judges but is working with 36 judges currently. In his plea, petitioner and advocate Amit Sahni has sought an urgent judicial intervention regarding the "alarming and chronic shortage" of judges in the court, which has "adversely impacted the timely dispensation of justice and the functioning of the judiciary". Sahni, a lawyer, has pointed out in his plea that according to the sanctioned strength, the court should have 60 judges -- 45 permanent and 15 additional. "However, it is currently functioning with only 36 judges, reflecting a vacancy rate of 40 per cent. This serious shortfall has arisen due to retirements, recent inter-court transfers and inaction in appointing judges despite the constitutional mandate and existing Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) requiring appointments to be initiated well before vacancies arise," the plea says. The petitioner has pointed out that several judges have retired recently, while three -- Justices Yashwant Varma, C D Singh and Dinesh Kumar Sharma -- have been transferred to other high courts. Two more retirements are expected in the coming months, which will reduce the strength to 34 judges, further exacerbating pendency and judicial delays, the plea says. The petitioner has urged the court to direct the authorities concerned for expeditious action in filling up the judicial vacancies by elevating eligible district judges and advocates from the bar, thereby ensuring the effective functioning of the high court. "The continued shortage of judges has led to alarming pendency of cases, excessive workload on sitting judges, delays in disposal of critical matters, such as writs, bail applications, appeals and commercial disputes, thereby directly affecting citizens' rights and public trust in the judiciary," the plea says. Judicial delays hurt the economically-weaker and marginalised sections the most, as they lack the resources to endure protracted legal battles or seek redressal elsewhere, the petition says. It says judicial vacancies should not be viewed merely as an administrative concern, but as a serious issue of fundamental rights and institutional trust.
New Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
36 HC judges for 60 posts, PIL warns of judicial crisis
NEW DELHI: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court highlighting the alarming 40 per cent vacancy in the court's sanctioned judicial strength, calling for immediate steps to address the crisis and prevent further erosion of justice delivery. Filed by practising lawyer Amit Sahni on Thursday, the plea states that while the Delhi High Court is sanctioned to have 60 judges, 45 permanent and 15 additional, it is currently functioning with only 36 judges. The shortfall, according to the petition, is the result of recent retirements, inter-court transfers and the lack of timely appointments despite the binding constitutional process and Memorandum of Procedure (MoP). 'Several Judges, including Justice Rekha Palli and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, have retired recently. Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice C.D. Singh, and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma have been transferred to other High Courts. Further, two more retirements are expected in the coming months, which will reduce the strength to merely 34 judges—further exacerbating pendency and judicial delays,' as per plea. This acute shortage, the petition contends, has delayed the adjudication of critical matters including bail pleas, writ petitions, appeals, and commercial plea said that the burden on the existing judges has increased considerably, and the backlog of cases continues to rise. The PIL further argues that judicial delays hurt economically weaker and marginalised sections the most, as they lack the resources to endure protracted legal battles or seek redressal elsewhere. It also asserts that judicial vacancies should not be viewed merely as an administrative concern, but as a serious issue of fundamental rights and institutional trust. Calling the situation untenable, the plea urges the court to treat the filling of vacancies as a matter of top constitutional priority, especially given the Delhi High Court's stature as a key constitutional court.t.
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
PIL seeks urgent judge appointments in Delhi HC to ensure timely justice
New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): On Thursday, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court, urging immediate judicial intervention to address the severe and persistent shortage of judges, which has hampered the efficient delivery of justice. Plea moved by Practising lawyer Amit Sahni, stated that as per sanctioned strength, the Delhi High Court should have 60 judges (45 permanent and 15 additional). However, it is currently functioning with only 36 judges, reflecting a vacancy rate of 40%. This serious shortfall has arisen due to retirements, recent inter-court transfers, and inaction in appointing judges despite the constitutional mandate and existing Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) requiring appointments to be initiated well before vacancies arise. It further stated that several judges, including Justice Rekha Palli and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, have retired recently. Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice C.D. Singh, and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma have been transferred to other High Courts. Further, two more retirements are expected in the coming months, which will reduce the strength to merely 34 judges. The continued shortage of judges has led to alarming pendency of cases, excessive workload on sitting judges, delays in disposal of critical matters such as writs, bail applications, appeals, and commercial disputes, thereby directly affecting citizens' rights and public trust in the judiciary, plea stated. Delays in adjudication due to judicial vacancies disproportionately affect the economically weaker and marginalised sections of society, who cannot afford prolonged litigation or access alternate forums of redressal. This is not merely an issue of administrative efficiency but one of fundamental rights, institutional integrity, and public trust in the judicial system. Judicial vacancies in a court of national and constitutional significance such as the Delhi High Court must be treated as a matter of utmost priority, the plea read. (ANI)
