Dear Editor,
A bench of the Supreme Court told the Attorney General that the government should not test our patience. Today we are calm but this peace may not last in the next hearing. Commenting on this, Justice Sanjay Kaul, the second most senior judge, said that even today a total of 70 cases of appointment, transfer and promotion of judges are pending with the government, some of which are from last November. The Attorney General was asked to come back on October 9 after asking the government for a clear reason for this delay. This anger of the Supreme Court bench was not without reason.
For some consecutive years, the government has been condemning the collegium system and wants to end it. From the Minister to the Vice President, everyone is speaking against it not only in the House but also on public platforms. The immediate reason for the bench’s anger was the latest incidents of violence in Manipur. In fact, a decision of the High Court is believed to be the reason behind the start of violence in this state. The Supreme Court condemned this decision. A few weeks later, Delhi’s second-most senior judge was recommended for the vacant post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But the government did not respond and the state’s justice system continued to deteriorate.
The Supreme Court Collegium also knows that the government acts on some names and on others there is inordinate delay. Because of this, many junior lawyers become senior judges and senior and better lawyers refuse to become judges out of resentment. The judiciary is deprived of good future judges. In view of the allegations of transparency in the collegium, the CJI recently said that a large team has formed its opinion after looking at the quality of the decisions of the judges for promotion in the last three years. However, the government should avoid such conflicts.
A Nawas
Kollam Kerala
