"Constitution Does Not Provide For Reservation For Any Caste...": Centre On SC Judges Appointment
CPI (M) MP Dr. John Brittas raised concerns over the vacancies in the Supreme Court and the High Courts in the Rajya Sabha today. He asked the Ministry of Law and Justice to specify the number of women judges and judges from SC, ST, and OBC communities in the top court and the high court.
On Thursday, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice, said that as of July 25, the Supreme Court comprises 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. For high courts, the sanctioned strength of 1,114 judges, 755 working judges, and 359 posts of judges remain vacant across high courts in India.
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He stated that 205 proposals for appointment of High Court Judges are at different stages of processing between the government and the Supreme Court Collegium, while the recommendations against 154 vacancies are yet to be received from the High Court Collegiums.
Meghwal stated that currently only three female judges are working in the top court, while 106 work in various high courts.
Highlighting Articles 124, 217, and 224 of the Indian Constitution, wherein there is no provision for reservation for any caste or class for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts, Meghwal stated that, as a result, no category-wise data for the representation of SCs, STs, and OBCs is centrally maintained.
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However, Meghwal added that since 2018, the recommendees for the post of High Court judges are required to provide details regarding their social background in the prescribed format (prepared in consultation with the Supreme Court). Based on that, out of 661 high court judges appointed in 2018, 21 belong to the SC category, 12 belong to the ST category, and 78 hail from the OBC category.
