The Law Ministry avoided giving direct answers in Rajya Sabha on pending Collegium recommendations for judicial appointments. Congress MPs flagged delays, but received only vague and general responses.
New Delhi: In a recent session of the Rajya Sabha, the Central Government avoided giving direct answers to specific questions raised by Members of Parliament from the Congress party regarding appointments of judges.
Senior Congress leaders Vivek K Tankha and Mallikarjun Kharge had asked several questions about the number of judicial appointments made in the last five years and how many names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium were either accepted, rejected, or still pending with the Central Government.
ALSO READ: Collegium Recommends Vimal Kumar Yadav for Delhi High Court Judgeship
They also wanted to know the reasons behind such delays.
Instead of providing exact data related to the Supreme Court Collegium recommendations, the Government responded only with general figures about the number of judges working in different High Courts, the number of vacancies, and pending recommendations.
The specific questions raised by the MPs included:
- How many total recommendations have been made by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointing judges to the High Courts and Supreme Court in the past five years, year by year?
- How many of those recommendations were accepted, rejected, and are still pending with the Government?
- What are the details of the pending recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointments in various High Courts, including the length of the delay and reasons?
To this, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law & Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, gave a common reply.
He said,
“178 proposals for appointment of High Court judges are at various stages of processing between the Government and the Supreme Court Collegium. The recommendations against 193 vacancies are yet to be received from the High Court Collegiums.”
Kharge also asked if the Ministry had set any deadline or timeline for clearing and processing these pending recommendations. The reply again remained vague.
ALSO READ: Justice BR Gavai Attributes Supreme Court Position to Dr. BR Ambedkar’s Legacy
The Ministry said,
“Appointment of Judges in the higher judiciary is a continuous, integrated and collaborative process between the executive and the judiciary. It requires consultation and approval from various Constitutional Authorities both at State and Central level.”
Vivek Tankha further asked if there were any cases where the Government returned the names suggested by the Collegium more than once, and if so, details of such cases.
But again, the Ministry did not provide this information. Instead, it only shared the number of judges appointed in recent years.
According to the Government,
“from January 1, 2020 till July 18, 2025, 35 judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court and 554 Judges have been appointed to various High Courts.”
Additionally, it said,
“Further, 349 names have been remitted to the High Courts during the same period.”
The Government’s replies have been criticised for being non-transparent and avoiding direct answers to questions of public and constitutional importance.
The judiciary plays a very crucial role in maintaining democracy, and judicial appointments must remain fair, timely, and accountable. The lack of clarity from the Central Government has raised concerns about transparency and the independence of the judiciary.
Read Q/A:
Click Here to Read More Reports on Collegium
