Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has said that appointment of judges in higher and subordinate judiciary across the country was the only way to tackle pendency. While hearing cases related to filling up of vacancies, CJI Gogoi said, “We want our judges to function. We need judges, we need courtrooms, we need manpower. We will make states governments, high courts and public service commissions responsible.”
Gogoi, who was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India on October 3, has conducted six collegium meetings so far to fill the 29 vacancies in high courts and four in the Supreme Court. The collegium comprising Gogoi, Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph did not hesitate to invoke provisions of Memorandum of Procedure while appointing a judge of the same high court as Chief Justice of parent high courts of Bombay and Calcutta. Justice D K Gupta and Justice N H Patil were appointed as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court and Bombay High Court respectively by the collegium.
To fill the vacancies, the Chief Justice has conducted six collegium meetings in 30 days. During the first collegium on October 9, a decision was taken to recommend seven judicial officers as judges of Karnataka High Court, five judicial officers and advocates as judges of Kerala High Court. On the same day, three additional judges of Madras High Court were made permanent judges.