Parliament panel for primacy to govt in judges' appointment

Opening a fresh debate, a Parliamentary committee has sought primacy for the executive in the appointment and transfer of judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.

Joining the debate, the Supreme Court Bar Association president P H Parekh said, "Giving primacy to the government in the appointment of judges of the higher judiciary will be worse than the present system of a collegium of senior-most judges making recommendations for appointment.

"The primacy must remain with the judiciary but the judiciary ought to act with greater transparency," Parekh, who as the president of the Supreme Court Advocates-on-record Association had filed a case and got the primacay restored to the judiciary, said.

In its latest report tabled in the Parliament on Thursday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice differed with the UPA government, which has no problem with the existing system of appointment and transfer of judges.

The committee, headed by E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, said "the government had not made any analysis of the impact of the procedure for filling up the vacancies in supreme court and high courts, based on pre and post-1993 arrangements, regarding appointment of judges in higher judiciary and to restore the pre-1993 position in the matter".