New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Professional competence ofthose being considered for appointment as judges can best bedetermined by the members of the higher judiciary and not bythe Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Supreme Court collegium hassaid.
The apex court collegium, headed by Chief Justice DipakMisra, has said this while recommending the names of three ofthe four advocates for appointment as judges of the JharkhandHigh Court.
"As regards comments of Intelligence Bureau aboutprofessional competence...we are of the view that professionalcompetence can best be determined by the members of the higherjudiciary who have the opportunity to observe his performanceon a daily basis," the collegium, which also comprisedJustices J Chelameswar and Ranjan Gogoi, said.
"As regards comments touching upon his integrity, thesame are qualified by Intelligence Bureau's own statementthat 'there is nothing on record'. In our view, it would notbe appropriate to take cognisance of any unsubstantiatedinformation based on discreet inquiries made by theIntelligence Bureau," the collegium said.
The apex court collegium has recommended the names ofadvocates Rajesh Kumar, Anubha Rawat Choudhary and KailashPrasad Deo for appointment as judges of the Jharkhand HighCourt after finding them suitable for elevation to the bench.
"Their inter se seniority be fixed as per the existingpractice," it said.
Similarly, the collegium has also recommended the name ofadvocate Arindam Lodh for elevation as a judge of the TripuraHigh Court.
The collegium also dealt with proposal for appointment ofthree additional judges as permanent judges of the GauhatiHigh Court.
It noted in its resolution that terms of two out of thesethree additional judges was going to expire shortly onNovember 21.
The collegium has said that at present, the two out ofthese three judges be appointed as additional judges for afresh term of one year with effect from November 22, while oneof them be appointed as additional judge for a fresh term ofone year from January 7, 2018. PTI ABA MNL SJK RKSARC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.