The Law Ministry revealed that 38 candidates from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes are being considered for High Court judgeships. Additionally, the Ministry was questioned about whether the government has withheld approval for certain recommended candidates due to their social media activity.
New Delhi: The Union Law Ministry recently informed the Lok Sabha that 38 candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Backward Classes (BC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) are being considered for elevation as High Court judges. Of these candidates, 8 are from SC, 3 from ST, 25 from OBC, and 2 from BC.
This information disclosed by Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Minister of State (independent charge) for Law & Justice, in response to a query from Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.
Read Also: Nitish Kumar Justifies Quota Benefits in Supreme Court, Citing Educational Disparities
Kanimozhi inquired about the number of High Court judge recommendations pending approval, the reasons for the delays, and the specific number of pending recommendations for SC, ST, and OBC candidates.
Meghwal revealed that as of now, 205 proposals recommended by High Court Collegiums are at various stages of processing. He also noted that since 2018, 16.8 percent of judges appointed to High Courts have been from SC, ST, and OBC backgrounds. Specifically, out of 661 High Court judges appointed since 2018, 21 (3.17%) are from SC, 12 (1.81%) from ST, 78 (11.80%) from OBC, and 499 (75.49%) from the general category.
Kanimozhi also asked if the government withheld approval for certain recommended candidates due to their social media posts. The response from Meghwal was evasive, stating that the Supreme Court Collegium opines that expressing views does not disqualify a candidate from holding a constitutional office, provided the candidate is competent, meritorious, and has integrity. He added that the government provides inputs mainly concerning the suitability, competence, and integrity of candidates.
Notably, the Central government previously cited social media posts as a reason for not approving certain High Court judgeship candidates. For example, in 2022, the recommendation to elevate R John Sathyan as a judge of the Madras High Court returned, citing an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report referring to two of his social media posts, one of which was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite the Collegium reiterating its proposal twice, Sathyan’s appointment was not cleared.
Similarly, Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan‘s elevation recommended by the Bombay High Court Collegium in October 2021, and the Supreme Court Collegium in February 2022. However, on November 25, 2022, the Central government opposed his elevation, citing his social media activity on matters under judicial consideration. The Collegium reiterated its proposal in January 2023, and Justice Sundaresan subsequently appointed as an additional judge in November 2023.
[Read Question and Response]
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
