Govt to revisit procedure of judicial appointment: Moily

Govt to revisit procedures for appointment of judges: Moily

Government may have a fresh look at the method of appointment of judges to higher judiciary and intends to come out with a comprehensive bill to deal with complaints of corruption against judges, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he said Government would not like to see that any "tainted" person becomes a judge.

At the same time, he refused to be drawn into a discussion on Karnataka Chief Justice P D Dinakaran whose elevation to the Supreme Court has been kept in abeyance over allegations of landgrabbing.

"Already there is a memorandum of procedure (on appointment of judges) which we are going by as of today. I am not reiterating that the same thing will continue. May be, we have to revisit the procedure. Whatever we do, we need to take the judiciary into full confidence" he said.

He was replying to a question whether the Government was contemplating making changes in the procedures for such appointments.

Moily referred to the 1993 and 1998 decisions of the apex court which led to the Memorandum of Procedures relating to Supreme Court Collegium that appoints judges to the higher judiciary.

There have been demands from political parties that the appointment of judges should revert back to the government.

Moily said the independence of judiciary without accountability has "no meaning, no significance" and there was need to resurrect its credibility.

He said the judges will have to follow the laid down standards and "respond to the ethics and become accountable to the judiciary and the nation".

The Supreme Court had laid down code of procedure in 1997 (to deal with conduct of judges). "But there was no statute to enforce it...with happenings around we need to resurrect the credibility and reputation of judiciary in the country," he said.

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