Centre vs collegium: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju says govt has very limited role in judges appointment

India

oi-Deepika S

Opposition
leaders
lashed
out
at
Kiren
Rijiju’s
statement
and
questioned
if
he
even
knows
the
meaning
of
the
word
“liberty.”

New
Delhi,
Dec
15:
Amid
the
ongoing
cold
war
between
the
judiciary
and
the
executive,
Union
Law
Minister
Kiren
Rijiju
on
Thursday
raised
concerns
over
the
government’s
“limited
role”
in
appointing
judges
and
stressed
that
it
is
at
odds
with
the
spirit
of
the
Constitution.

The
union
minister
said
the
apex
court
should
not
be
hearing
bail
pleas
and
frivolous
PILs
at
a
time
when
the
pendency
of
cases
is
so
high.

Replying
to
questions
in
the
Upper
House
of
Parliament,
the
law
minister
said
the
Centre
has
limited
powers
over
appointments
of
judges.

Rijiju
said
the
total
number
of
cases
pending
in
various
courts
is
about
to
touch
five
crore.
He
observed
that
the
impact
of
such
a
huge
pendency
of
court
cases
on
the
public
is
obvious.

The
minister
pointed
out
that
the
Centre
has
taken
various
measures
to
reduce
the
pendency
of
cases.

“Currently,
the
government
has
limited
powers
to
fill
the
vacancies
(in
courts),”
he
said
and
added
that
the
Centre
cannot
look
for
names
other
than
those
recommended
by
the
collegium.

Rijiju
also
told
the
House
that
requests,
both
verbally
and
in
writing,
have
been
made
to
the
chief
justices
of
the
Supreme
Court
as
well
as
high
courts
to
send
names
at
the
earliest
for
filling
up
the
vacancies
of
judges.

“We
are
giving
our
full
support
to
reduce
pendency
of
cases.
But
questions
will
keep
arising
on
vacancy
of
judges
and
appointments
till
we
create
a
new
system
for
appointments,”
he
added.

Opposition
leaders
lashed
out
at
Kiren
Rijiju’s
statement
and
questioned
if
he
even
knows
the
meaning
of
the
word
“liberty.”

Rijiju
alleged
said
:
Supreme
Court
must
not
take
up
bail
pleas
….

Does
he
even
know
the
meaning
of
liberty
?

—
Kapil
Sibal
(@KapilSibal)

December
15,
2022

Obviously
Law
Minister

@KirenRijiju
had
other
pressing
preoccupations
in
Law
School
other
than
Law.
He
perhaps
has
never
read
Justice
Krishna
Aiyer’s
seminal
treatise-bail
not
jail
is
the
rule
How
else
can
a
law
Minister
say
SC
should
not
hear
bail
pleas

https://t.co/XCmYbQTWSO

—
Manish
Tewari
(@ManishTewari)

December
15,
2022

“I
have
made
certain
remarks
in
a
good
gesture
to
the
Supreme
Court
of
India
that
you
take
up
those
cases
which
are
relevant.
If
Supreme
Court
starts
hearing
bail
applications
or
frivolous
PILs,
it
will
cause
lots
of
extra
burden,”
Rijiju
said.

Forget
NJAC,
Govt
wants
to
micromanage
judiciary:
cut
vacations,
no
priority
to
bail,
et
al.
What
next?

—
Salman
Khurshid
(@salman7khurshid)

December
15,
2022

As
on
December
5,
in
the
Supreme
Court
against
the
sanctioned
strength
of
34
judges,
27
are
working,
leaving
seven
vacancies.