NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday told Parliament that it had returned files of five recommendations made by the Supreme Court collegium for appointment to the higher judiciary.
Union Minister of State for Law PP Chaudhary, however, said that 27 other proposals of the collegium, including some that were returned by the Centre to the collegium, were being considered by the government.
The government, however, chose not to disclose any names and did not give details of either pending files or the five names that the collegium had recommended for elevation but were returned by the Centre.
Giving a written response in the Lok Sabha on the issue of appointments in the higher judiciary, Chaudhary said, “At present, 143 names recommended by the High Court collegium have been submitted and pending with the Supreme Court collegium. Further, five names recommended by Supreme Court collegium have been referred back by the government to Supreme Court for reconsideration and 27 proposals, including those names reiterated by Supreme Court collegium, are under various stages of processing with the government, as per the procedure prescribed in the MoP (Memorandum of Procedure).”
The minister was responding to questions raised by Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor. Chaudhary informed Parliament said that no recommendations of the Supreme Court collegium for the year 2014 were pending with the government.
He added, “For the year 2015, the Supreme Court collegium has conveyed on August 1, 2018 for remitting two names recommended by the Allahabad High Court back to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court.”
Tharoor asked several questions related to appointments made in the higher judiciary, including names and dates of the collegium recommendations, but Chaudhary did not reveal those details.
Over the past six months, the judiciary has been at loggerheads with the government, particularly over the Centre stalling appointments in the judiciary.
Government does not reveal names, dates
The government chose not to disclose any names and did not give details of either pending files or the five names that the Supreme Court collegium had recommended for elevation but were returned by the Centre.
Union Minister of State for Law PP Chaudhary also did not reveal dates of the collegium recommendations, sought by MP Shashi Tharoor.