Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana has agreed to the request made by the Supreme Court Bar Association to consider lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court for elevation as Judges to their High Courts, and has requested the Chief Justices of the High Courts to consider the same.
The SCBA on May 31 in its representation to the Chief Justice of India submitted the concern of the members of SCBA with regard to their elevation to the High Courts in India and further, suggested a transparent mechanism in order to institutionalize the said appointment which will also help in filling up of large number of vacancies in the High Courts.
In furtherance of the CJI’s consent, the Executive Committee of SCBA has constituted a “Search Committee” comprising the undersigned, Vice President and Senior Member Mahalakshmi Pavani and four eminent members of the Bar namely Rakesh Dwivedi, Shekhar Naphade, Vijay Hansaria and V. Giri to facilitate the process of elevation by identifying deserving and meritorious Supreme Court practitioners.
Read Also: Delhi High Court dismisses petition challenging trial court order in DV Act case
After the identification of the deserving candidates by the Search Committee, the High Court Collegium may consider such names along with the lawyers from the High Court Bar in order to choose the most deserving candidate amongst those available for elevation.
The letter issued by the SCBA said, “…every lawyer practicing in India is a citizen of India and therefore should be fairly considered for elevation on the basis of merit alone, no matter where he/she practices. We are hopeful that immediate action in view of the large vacancies in the High Courts is taken.”