In a rare collective push for sweeping judicial reforms, more than 2,000 advocates have endorsed a requisition demanding the immediate appointment of 283 pending high court judges, including 26 posts currently vacant in the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the swearing-in of 10 judges on August 4.
The signatories — led by senior advocate Tahar Singh and advocate Sarbjeet Singh — warn that chronic delays, “institutional favouritism” and “in-breeding” in appointments are eroding the credibility and independence of the higher judiciary. With over 62 lakh cases pending in high courts across the country, they argue the backlog could be cleared in four years if all vacancies are filled with “honest, hardworking and dedicated” judges capable of deciding 25 cases per day over 240 working days a year.
The four-page document calls for the elevation process to begin at least six months before a vacancy arises, cautioning against delays “till close relatives of judges or the Union Law Minister become eligible.” It recommends a complete ban on elevating judges from the same bar to the same high court to avoid conflicts of interest, and advocates a transparent, transferable judicial system similar to the IAS and IPS, where officers cannot serve in their home districts.
The requisition also proposes:
- A five-year transfer policy for high court judges
- Retrospective probes into disproportionate assets, including post-retirement scrutiny
- Raising the minimum age for elevation to 50 years, and for senior advocate designation to 45
- Strict recusal norms for collegium members with relatives practising in the same court
- Clear, merit-based selection guidelines to replace the current “ad hoc” system
The document cites recent controversies — including cases involving Justice Yashwant Verma, Justice Narayan Shukla, and the “cash-for-bail” racket at Rouse Avenue Court — to argue that corruption in the judiciary is “at an all-time high” and must be tackled to restore public trust.
It praises retired Supreme Court judges such as Justice Kurien Joseph, Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Sanjeev Khanna, Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Abhay S. Oka for declining post-retirement government posts, and urges all sitting judges — “from Justice Surya Kant onwards” — to follow suit to safeguard judicial independence.
Concluding with an appeal to the Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court judges to take “moral and institutional responsibility” for implementing these reforms, the requisition draws inspiration from former CJI M.N. Venkatachaliah’s introduction of the judges’ transfer policy in 1993. “When the history of India’s judicial system will be read, the names of you and your colleagues will be remembered,” it states.
