The Supreme Court on Friday pressed the Central government for an account of unprocessed nominations for judgeships, particularly those names reiterated by the Collegium, demanding clarity on the reasons for their pending status.
During a session presided over by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, the court addressed two significant petitions. The first involved a plea from the Jharkhand government urging contempt proceedings against the Centre for not approving the Collegium’s recommendation to appoint Justice MS Ramachandra Rao as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court—a nomination that has been pending since July 11.
The second petition, brought forth by Advocate Harsh Vibhore Singal, advocates for establishing fixed timelines for the Union government to act on Collegium resolutions. As discussions unfolded, Attorney General R Venkataramani, citing health issues, was unable to provide immediate explanations, which led to a further call for clarity by the court.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan highlighted ongoing concerns by mentioning several instances, such as the delayed appointment of Saurabh Kirpal among others, illustrating a pattern where the Centre has stalled on judicial appointments, sometimes for years.
In a notable interaction, CJI Chandrachud directly asked the Attorney General to compile a detailed list of names that the Collegium has reiterated for appointment but remain unprocessed, stating, “Show us why it is pending and at what level it is pending.”
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the State of Jharkhand, also voiced frustrations regarding delays, referencing the case of Justice BR Sarangi, whose appointment as Chief Justice of Jharkhand was approved only days before his retirement, resulting in merely a fortnight of service despite the Collegium’s timely recommendation.
