Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya of CPI (M) introduced a private member bill in the Rajya Sabha on Friday to regulate the appointments of judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
The bill Bhattacharya has proposes is to set up a National Judicial Commission for recommending people for appointment as the Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court and Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts.
The bill which has been proposed also talks of the judicial standards and provides for accountability of Judges.
The bill also talks about creating a mechanism which is credible and expedient for investigating individual complaints for misbehaviour or incapacity of a Judge of the Supreme Court or of a High Court and to regulate the procedure for such investigation.
The bill proposes also presentation of an address by Parliament to the President in relation to proceeding for removal of a Judge and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The Bill named National Judicial Commission was opposed by Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha who said that this was an attempt to usurp judicial appointments the same way as that of CBI and ED directors.
He further said that the concept of National Judicial Appointments Commission has come under the review of the Supreme Court thrice. First time, in 1993, second in 1998 and third time in 2016.
He also added that the Supreme Court gave primacy to independence of judiciary, placing it at a pedestal where the idea of National Judicial Appointments Commission was dismissed.
The AAP MP said the present system of appointment of judges through the collegium system has been doing well.
He however added that there is definitely a scope for improvements which can be done after due consultation with judiciary.
AAP MP concluded by saying that the , the Central government must not be given any handle through which it enters into judicial accountability or appointment of judgeNational