The Hindu : National : Expedite appointment of judges, Lahoti urged

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Sunday, Jan 02, 2005

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National

Expedite appointment of judges, Lahoti urged

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 1. Expressing concern over the inordinate delay in filling the vacancies of judges in various High Courts, the All-India Bar Association (AIBA) has urged the Chief Justice of India, R.C. Lahoti, to expedite the process of appointment of judges.

In a statement, the AIBA chairman, Adish C. Agarwala, and the vice-chairman, S. Prabhakaran, said that 219 of the 719 judges posts were vacant and recommendations had been made for filling only 126.

Out of the sanctioned strength of 49 judges in the Madras High Court, including the Madurai Bench, 22 posts were vacant. Since the recommendations already made by the High Court during the tenure of the former Chief Justice, B. Subhashan Reddy, had been returned for a fresh look by the present Chief Justice, there had been a delay in making the appointments.

The AIBA requested the Chief Justice to impress upon the Chief Justices of High Courts to send their recommendations for the vacancies as well as to clear the pending proposals at the earliest so that the backlog of cases could be reduced.

It wanted the Supreme Court to evolve a common procedure for the appointment of senior advocates under Section 16 of the Advocates Act. In recent times the designation of senior advocates in various High Courts had become controversial due to pressures exerted from different quarters. The association wanted the CJI to issue instructions to the High Courts in this regard.

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