334 Judge Vacancies in High Courts- Dinamani
The Central Government informed the Rajya Sabha that there are 334 vacant posts of judges in the High Courts in the country, of which only 118 posts have been recommended by the collegium.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s written reply to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha regarding the vacancies of judges in the High Courts states:
As on March 10, there are no vacancies for judges in the Supreme Court. All posts are filled. The number of judges approved in 25 High Courts in the country is 1,114. But only 780 judges are working. 334 Judge posts are vacant.
The collegium has so far sent recommendations for filling up 118 judicial vacancies in the High Courts. Actions on the recommendations are at different stages. The Supreme Court Collegium has to make recommendations for filling up 216 judicial vacancies.
The posts of judges in the High Courts are vacant due to reasons such as retirement, resignation, transfer to the Supreme Court. Continuous concerted efforts are being made to fill them. The posts of judges have to be filled after taking the advice of various constitutional bodies.
The central government has promised to fill up the vacancies of high court judges expeditiously. The government has urged the collegium to give priority to nominations from the Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and Women and maintain social justice while making recommendations for judicial vacancies.
In his reply, Minister Rijiju mentioned that judges should be transferred only to improve judicial activities in the country.
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