June,16,2016:

High Courts continue to wait for filling up of vacant posts.

Filling up of High Court Judges posts has got further delayed on account of Supreme Court summer vacations.

The Supreme Court collegium has been referred 60 names by the Law Ministry for filling up of high courts posts and for appointment of HC judges.

But the SC collegium has not met since last one month ie. May 16 as the apex court went into summer vacation. CJI T S Thakur is reported to be spending the vacations abroad.

Different High Courts in States currently have on average 42% posts vacant .

Around 170 names recommended by high court collegiums for appointment as judges have been received by the Law Ministry. Out of them, 60 names have been processed and sent to SC  along with intelligence inputs from IB and otherinputs to the SC collegium for approval.

The collegium for appointment of HC judges include CJI and the two senior-most SC judges but no meeting could be held as the CJI has been abroad during last month.

 The CJI firstly went to Japan and now he has gone to London and Hawaii and would return a week before  June 29, when the SC reopens.
Besides vacations there is a continuing standoff between the judiciary and the government over finalisation of the MOP, Memorandum of Procedure.
All this delay has created difficulty for the lawyers whose have been recommended by HC Collegium for appointment as HC judges. They are now caught between ethics and professional requirement as they stop practising in court upon recommendation of their name for appointment as judge.

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