70 Collegium Recommendations Await Action: SC Concerned Over Delay in Judges’ Appointments

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the delay in appointing judges, with 70 collegium recommendations still awaiting government action.

During a recent hearing, a bench of justices, including Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia, urged Attorney General R Venkataramani to address the issue urgently.

The bench revealed that as of now, 70 recommendations remain unresolved, including 26 for judge transfers, seven reiterations, nine awaiting government response, and one involving the appointment of a Chief Justice to a sensitive high court. These recommendations have been pending since November of the previous year.

Justice Kaul emphasized that there has been a seven-month delay in processing these recommendations, which required only basic attention. He assured that the matter would be closely monitored and addressed every 10-12 days to expedite the process before his term concludes on December 25.

The appointment of judges through the collegium system has been a contentious issue between the Supreme Court and the Central Government. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Advocates Association of Bengaluru, seeking contempt action against the Union Ministry of Law and Justice for not adhering to a court-issued timeline from a 2021 judgment.

The bench, while acknowledging the need for a “hard push” to ensure compliance with timelines, posted the matter for further hearing on October 9. It emphasized the importance of adhering to the court’s previous verdict, which outlined a timeline for clearing collegium recommendations.