Aurangabad bar to law minister: Backlog & vacancies high in Bombay HC – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Aurangabad Advocates Bar Association at Bombay high court has written a letter to Union law minister Kiren Rijiju, expressing concern over the high vacancy among HC judges in the state as there are currently only 55 judges out of the sanctioned strength of 94.
“There are two vacancies in the Supreme Court, and 381 vacancies of high court judges as on 01.07.2022. The situation is extremely grim and alarming, and if continued any further, it would threaten the very survival of the higher judiciary in India. It is not possible to reverse the situation unless immediate steps are taken by the central government under your stewardship,” said the letter dated July 9.
The letter, signed by Bar president Nitin Choudhary and association secretary Suhas Urgunde, was handed over to the Union minister during his visit to MNLU, Aurangabad, for the convocation of its first batch. The bar association said, “The collegium of the Bombay high court had recommended several names of advocates for elevation as high court judges in 2021, and again in 2022. The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 19.03.2021 approved certain (10) names of the advocates for elevation as judges of the Bombay high court.”
“However, no one knows what happened to the names of the advocates recommended… The government of India has put the issue on a backburner. As a result, 19 possible judicial appointments remain in suspended animation, in some cases, for more than a year, and in other, for several months.”
“Even after the clearance of names by the Supreme Court Collegium, these remain pending at the level of executive. All this results in inordinate delay,” it added. “The central government acts in a manner as if it’s not answerable to anyone, whereas the Supreme Court Collegium in such a case, pleads to be helpless. In the entire process, the litigants suffer immensely,” it added.
The lawyers also said that the “larger picture is that the delay in administration of justice not only affects litigants but hinders the socio-economic development of the nation too”, and sought prompt action from the minister.