New Delhi, July 26: The Centre has informed Parliament that the Supreme Court of India is currently functioning at its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges, with no vacancies.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal conveyed this information in the Rajya Sabha, highlighting the status of judicial appointments and vacancies across the country.
However, the situation in various High Courts remains less ideal. Against a sanctioned strength of 1,114 judges, only 757 judges are presently serving, leaving 357 positions vacant.
Responding to questions on this issue, Minister Meghwal provided detailed insights into the appointment process and the current status of proposals for filling these vacancies.
"As of July 19, 2024, 219 proposals for the appointment of judges from various High Court Collegiums are at various stages of processing. Out of these, 90 proposals were sent to the Supreme Court Collegium (SCC) for advice, and the SCC has already provided advice on 82 of these, which are also in different stages of processing. Additionally, 129 fresh proposals have been received recently and are currently being processed to seek the SCC's advice," the Minister explained.
The Minister further noted that recommendations from High Court Collegiums for the remaining 138 vacancies are still awaited.
As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) established by the Second Judge case and Third Judge case, the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court is required to initiate proposals for the appointment of judges six months before a vacancy occurs.
Despite these procedural challenges, Minister Meghwal reaffirmed the government's commitment to expeditious processing of appointments to ensure that the Constitutional Courts function efficiently. All names recommended by the High Court Collegiums are reviewed with the views of the government and then sent to the SCC for final advice. Only those individuals recommended by the SCC are appointed as judges in the High Courts.
