Judges appointment: Govt clears proposal to set up judicial appointments commission Government has cleared a proposal to set up a judicial appointments commission for appointing judges in higher courts. It aims to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts. A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi this evening. The proposed Judicial Appointment Commission for appointment and transfer of higher judiciary will comprise Chief Justice of India, two senior most judges of the Supreme Court, the Law Minister and two eminent persons. A separate committee headed by the Prime Minister with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India will select the two eminent persons for the Commission. In yet another decision, Cabinet gave its nod to the amendments to the Representation of Peoples Act. This is to negate the recent Supreme Court verdict on disqualification of convicted legislators. The amendment will have a provision that the convicted member shall continue to take part in proceedings of Parliament or Legislature of a state but he or she shall neither be entitled to vote nor draw salary and allowances till the appeal or revision is finally decided by the court. However if any person is in judicial custody he or she will not be debarred from contesting elections. The Supreme Court in its verdict last month had struck down a provision in the electoral law that protects a convicted lawmaker from disqualification on the ground of pendency of appeal in higher courts. Besides, the apex court also made it clear that convicted Parliamentarians and members of state legislatures will be disqualified from the membership of the house from the date of conviction.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 03:00:48 +0000